UCSB  LIBRARY 

X-  ^^^  L, 


LAKE  AND 


By  CAPT.  CHARLES  A.  J.  FARRAR. 


A  RECORD  OF  SPORT  AND  ADVENTURE 

IN  THE 

WILDS  OF  MAINE, 

To  be  Completed  in  Six  Volumes. 

1GH10.    TT  .T  .TTPtHPT?.  A  T>TT!T->- 


i.     EASTWARD  HO!  OR  ADVENTURES  AT 
RANGELEY  LAKES. 

ii.    WILD   WOODS    LIFE;   OR  A  TRIP 
TO  PARMACHENEE. 

in.  DOWN  THE  WEST  BRANCH; 
OR  CAMPS  AND  TRAMPS  AROUND 
KATAHDIN.  (In  Preparation.) 


LAKE  AND   FOREST  SERIES. 


WILD  WOODS  LIFE; 


A  TRIP   TO    PARMACHENEE, 

CONTAINING 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  THE  PARTY  OF  BOSTON  BOYS 
WHO  FIGURE  IN  "EASTWARD   HO!"   AND  WHO 
IN  THIS  VOLUME  PENETRATE  FARTHER 
INTO  THE  WILDERNESS,  AND   MEET 
WITH     A    GREAT  VARIETY    OF 
THRILLING  ADVENTURES 
AND  AMUSING   EX- 
PERIENCES. 

A  REALISTIC  STORY  OF  LIFE  Iff  THE    WOODS. 
(FULLY  ILLUSTRATED.) 

BY 

CAPT.  CHARLES  A.  J.  FARRAR, 

AUTHOR    OF   "EASTWARD   HO !  "    "  MOOSEIIEAD    LAKE    AND   THE   NORTH 

MAINE  WILDERNESS,    ILLUSTRATED,"  THE   ANDROSCOGGIN 

LAKES,   ILLUSTRATED,"   "  CAMP-LIFE   IN  THE 

WILDERNESS,"   ETC.,    ETC. 


B  O  STON : 
LEE     &     SHEPARD,    PUBLISHERS, 

NEW  YORK: 

CHARLES    T.  DILLINGHAM. 
1884. 


Copyright, 

1884, 
BY  CHARLES  A.  J.  FARRAR. 


Rockwell  mud  CuurcUiil,  1'rimers  auU  Stereotype™,  tio.  'JJ  Arcu  Slreti,  Ikittuu. 


MY   DEAR   BROTHER, 

ANDREW    E.    FARRAR, 

WITH  WHOM  I  HAVE  PASSED  MANY  HAPPY  DAYS  IN 

THE  WOODS  OF  MAINE,  AND  TO  WHOM 

SOME  OF  THE   INCIDENTS 

IN  THIS   STORY 

MAY  RECALL  PLEASANT  REMINISCENCES, 

THIS    VOLUME 

IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED. 


PREFACE. 


THE  cordial  reception  tendered  to  the  first 
volume  of  this  series,  "  Eastward  Ho  !  "  by  the 
press  and  the  public,  encouraged  the  author  to 
go  forward  in  the  work  he  had  undertaken,  of 
writing  six  volumes  on  Life  in  the  Woods,  as 
experienced  by  him  on  many  camping-out 
excursions,  extending  over  a  period  of  twenty 
years. 

It  was  his  intention  to  have  these  volumes 
follow  each  other  closely,  at  least  one  each  year, 
until  the  series  was  completed ;  but  the  cares 
of  an  extensive  and  rapidly  growing  business, 
combined  with  a  large  amount  of  other  literary 
work,  have  widened  the  gap,  until  four  years  have 
elapsed  since  the  launching  of  the  first  volume 
on  the  crowded  sea  of  literature. 

In  reply  to  many  inquiring  letters  from  inter- 
ested readers  of  "  Eastward  Ho ! "  he  would 
state  that  the  succeeding  volumes  of  the  series 


viii  Preface. 

will  make  their  appearance,  at  the  farthest,  within 
twelve  months  of  each  other,  and  possibly  sooner. 

He  would  also  take  this  occasion  to  tender  his 
heartfelt  thanks  for  the  many  commendatory  let- 
ters received  from  kind  friends  from  all  parts  of 
the  country,  the  most  of  whom  being  personally 
strangers  to  him  makes  their  congratulations 
doubly  valuable.  * 

The  scene  of  the  two  next  volumes  is  laid  in 
the  vast  wilderness  of  Northern  Maine,  in  a 
country  much  more  isolated  and  wilder  than  any 
visited  in  the  two  books  already  published. 

Hoping  that  those  who  have  followed  our 
party  through  the  first  two  volumes  will  look 
forward  with  pleasure  to  a  renewal  of  their  ac- 
quaintance in  the  third,  we  lay  aside  the  pen  for 
the  present,  wishing  the  kindest  regards  to  our 
numerous  circle  of  readers. 

C.  A.  J.  FARRAR. 
ROCKVIEW,  JAMAICA  PLAIN,  MASS.,  April,  1884. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

CHAPTER  I.  — Northward  Bound  —  Almost  an  Accident— A 
Stage  Ride  —  Runaway  Horses  —  A  Fault-finding  Passenger 

—  Colebrook  —  Panther    Excitement  —  Brook   Fishing  —  The 
Panther's   Lair  —  The  Countryman's  Astonishment  —  Arrival 

at  Dixville  Notch — A  Good  Supper.  13 

CHAPTER  II.  —  Sight-seeing—  A  frightened  Granger —A  Panther 
Hunt  —  Sudden  Appearance  of  the  Animal  —  A  frightened 
Crowd  — The  Chase—  In  at  the  Death—  Return  to  the  Hotel 

—  A  Funny  Deer  —  A  Good  Joke  —  Off  for  Colebrook  — Col- 
lision on  the  Road  —  Settling  Damages.  37 

CHAPTER  III.  —  Good-by  to  Colebrook  — Through  a  Bridge  — 
The  Wheelman — Connecticut  Lake  —  The  Ride  to  Second 
Lake  —  Shooting  Partridges  —  A  Glance  at  a  Moose  —  Arrival 
at  Second  Lake  —  Tom  Chester's  Camp — The  Deer  Story  — 
Trout  Fishing  —  Crossing  the  Carry  —  Arrival  at  Parmachenee.  65 

CHAPTER  IV.  — The  first  Meal  in  Camp  —  Cooking  under  Diffi- 
culties—  Under  the  Blankets  —  An  Alarm  in  the  Night  — 
What  was  It?  —  The  Attack  of  the  Minges  —  Goo  d  Fishing  — 
Prospecting  for  a  Camp  Site  —  The  Hunting  Party  —  What 
they  found  —  A  Bear  in  a  Trap  —  His  Capture  — Bringing  him 
to  Camp  —  Arrival  of  more  Stores  —  A  Square  Meal  —  Around 
the  Camp-fire — Bruin  and  the  Singing —  Christening  the  Bear 

—  A  good  Night's  Rest.  102 

CHAPTER  V.  — Early  Fishing  —  Moving  Camp— Getting  to 
Rights  —  An  Inquisitive  Guide  —  Feeding  the  Bear  —  A  Trial 
at  Jack  Shooting  —  Baking  Beans  —  Berrying  —  A  Caribou 

—  An  unsuccessful  Chase  —  A  Visit  to  Flint's  Camp — Pota- 
toes and  Chains  —  Teaching  the  Bear  —  A  Sunday  Dinner  — 
Wild  Lightning  —  Looking  for  a  Beaver  Dam  —  The  Eagle's 
Nest  —  The  Big  Pine  —  Back  to  Camp.  128 


X  Contents. 

Page 

CHAPTER  VI.  — Fishing  and  Berrying  —  The  Eagle's  Nest- 
Chopping  the  Pine  — An  Interference  — Fight  with  the  Eagles 

—  The  Boys  getting  the  Worst  of  It  — St.  Glair  to  the  Rescue 

—  Return  to  Camp— A  Visit  to  Chester's  —  Evening  Recita- 
tions—  A  Trip  to  Moose  Brook  —  Discovery  of  a  Deer  in  the 
Lake  —  Its  Chase  and  Capture  —  Changing  Cooks  —  St.  Glair's 
Speech.  IS4 

CHAPTER  VII.— A  Rainy  Sunday  —  Moving  up  River  — A 
Tramp  through  the  Woods  with  Nap  and  Lightfoot  —  A  Good 
Supper  —  Around  the  Camp-fire  —  A  Mysterious  Alarm — A 
Bad  Shot  —  Plenty  of  Venison  —  Claude  and  Phil  visit  Chester's 
Camp  —  Visitors  —  Tough  Yarns  —  Ascent  of  Camel's  Rump 

—  Discovery  of  a  Cave  —  The  Skeleton  —  Frightened    by  a 

Bat  —  Table-talk  —  Return  of  Claude  and  Phil.  179 

CHAPTER  VIII.  — Claude's  Story  — An  Unpleasant  Adventure 

—  Oversleeping  —  A    Foggy    Morning  —  "Quack!     Quack! 
Quack!"   the   First  Ducks — Phil's  Story  —  An  Excursion  to 
Little  Boy's  Falls  —  A  Hot  Day — Maynard  and  the  Bear  — 
Building  a  Shanty  —  Roast  Duck  for  Supper.  207 

CHAPTER  IX.  — An  Early  Turn-out— A  Visit  to  Rump  Pond- 
Phenomenal  Fishing —  Two  at  a  Time — A  Whale  —  A  Sud- 
den Dive  —  Quick  Retribution  —  The  Two  Bathers  —  Capture 
of  the  Large  Fish  —  Return  to  Camp  —  A  Visit  to  the  Cave  — 
The  Storm  —  Buried  Alive  —  Short  Rations  — A  Hard  Bed.  243 

CHAPTER  X.  — The  Kitchen  Finished  — A  Terrible  Storm- 
Thunder  and  Lightning  —  Killing  Time  —  The  Two  Strangers 

—  Pork  and  Hardtack  —  Building  a  Fire  Under  Difficulties  — 
A  Rainy  Night  —  Where  are  the  Boys?  —  Determination  of 
Maynard  to  Seek  them  in  the  Morning.  265 

CHAPTER  XL  — Troubled  Sleepers  — The  Nightmare  —The 
Rescuing  Party  —  Removing  the  Boulder  —  The  Prison  Doors 
Opened  —  Back  to  Camp — A  Jolly  Supper  —  A  Quiet  Night 

—  Departure  of  the  Woodsmen.  278 

CHAPTER  XII.  — Claude  and  Phil  Visit  Flint's— The  Saucy 
Loons  —  Returning  to  Camp  —  A  Large  Flock  of  Ducks  — 
Successful  Shooting  —  St.  Clair,  Le  Roy,  and  Wingate  Start 
for  Arnold's  Bog  —  A  Quiet  Sunday — Writing  to  Old  Chums 


Contents.  xi 

Page 

—  A  Circus  in  Camp  —  Maynard  Takes  a  Bath  —  The  First 
Snow  —  Worrying  About  the  Absent  Ones  —  Camp-fire  Flicker- 
ings  —  A  Wakeful  Night  —  An  Unsuccessful  Moose  Chase  — 
Return  of  the  Wanderers.  294 

CHAPTER  XIII.  — Around  the  Camp-Fire  —  St.  Glair's  Story  — 
A  Night  at  Black  Pond  —  Deer  by  Moonlight — Arnold's 
Bog  —  The  Camp  at  the  Forks  —  Moose-Hunting  at  Night  — 
A  Sleepy  Hunter  —  The  Battle  between  the  Moose — Locked 
Horns — Large  Game  —  A  Visit  from  Indians  —  Building  a 
Raft — Lake  Megantic  —  A  Night  at  a  Hotel — Return  up 
the  Lake  —  A  Hard  Tramp  —  Lost  —  Climbing  a  Mountain  — 
The  Forks  Again.  —  Back  to  Camp.  315 

CHAPTER  XIV.  —  Moving  Down-river  —  Rafting  the  Menagerie 

—  Camping   at  the   Foot   of  the   Lake  —  The    Pursued    and 
Pursuers  —  Fighting  the   Hounds  —  Lightfoot's   Death  —  Re- 
moval to  Forks  of  the  Magalloway — A  Fifty-Dollar  Bear  — 
Down-river  again  —  Upper  Metalluc  Pond  —  Camping  Over- 
night —  Early  Risers  —  Good  Duck  Shooting.  331 

CHAPTER  XV.—  Early  Birds  —  Fine  Duck-Shooting  —  Moving  — 
The  Camp  at  Lincoln  Pond  —  A  Prolonged  Storm  —  Housed- 
up  —  Fair  Weather  —  Early  Fishing  —  Splendid  Luck  —  Three 
and  Four  Pounders  —  A  Windy  Day — A  Poor  Hunt  —  Bears 
as  Thieves  —  A  Logger's  Story  of  an  Inquisitive  Bear.  357 

CHAPTER  XVI.  —  A  Deer-Hunt— A  Ludicrous  Fright  — A  Soci- 
able Bear —Trailing  a  Caribou — Peculiar  Pedestrianism  — 
Successful  Shots  —  The  Caribou  Killed  —  Aid  from  Camp  — 
Boat-racing  on  Lincoln  Pond — Formation  of  the  Lake  and 
Forest  Club  —  Peppering  a  Loon  —  Last  Night  in  Camp.  366 

CHAPTER  XVII.  — A  Noisy  Waking.  —  Good-by.  Lincoln  Pond 

—  Down  to  Flint's  —  The  Brown  Farm  — A  Surprise  Party  — 
Old  Friends  —  A  Charming    Re-union  —  The    Ride  on   the 
Steamboat  —  The  Lakeside  —  A  Good  Hotel  —  Trading  in  a 
Country    Store  —  A    Beautiful    Drive  —  Climbing    Speckled 
Mountain  —  The  View  from  the  Summit  —  Moose  Cave  —  The 
Jail  —  Screw  Auger  Falls — Arrival  at   Bethel  —  Homeward 
Bound.  388 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Pag-e 

The  Panther's  Leap Frontispiece 

Old  Man  of  the  Mountain,  Dixville  Notch,  N.H.    .         .         .         49 

On  a  Buckboard "      .        75 

Parmachenee  Lake,  looking  North 103 

Capturing  a  Bear .127 

Moose-Shooting  on  the  Magalloway  River     ....       141 

A  Hard- Fought  Battle 155 

An  Obstacle 169 

Parmachenee  Lake,  looking  West  .....       191 

Steamer  Diamond          .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .221 

Kennebago  Lake,  from  Snowman's  point        ....       255 

Duck-Shooting  at  South  Arm 281 

A  Moose  Fight 321 

Lake  Umbagog,  from  Steamboat  Landing      ....       353 
Androscoggin  River,  between  Bethel  and  Newry  Corner          .       385 


WILD    WOODS    LIFE; 

O  R  , 

A     TRIP     TO     PARMACHENEE, 


CHAPTER    I. 

Northward  Bound. — Almost  an  Accident. — A  Stage  Ride. — 
Runaway  Horses.  —  A  Fault-finding  Passenger.  —  Cole- 
brook.  —  Panther  Excitement.  —  Brook  Fishing.  —  The 
Panther's  Lair.  —  The  Countryman's  Astonishment.  — 
Arrival  at  Dixville  Notch.  —  A  Good  Supper. 

As  the  northward-bound  train  over  the  Boston, 
Concord,  &  Montreal  Railroad  stopped  at  Wells  River 
on  the  afternoon  of  Tuesday,  Aug.  8,  1876,  six  young 
Americans  rushed  from  the  drawing-room  car  out  upon 
the  platform,  and  began  casting  eager  and  searching 
glances  upon  the  crowd  around  them. 

"  There  he  is,  boys,"  cried  Claude  Emerson,  the 
oldest  of  the  party,  pointing  off  to  his  right,  and, 
elevating  his  voice  a  little,  sang  out,  "  This  way,  Phil ; 
here  we  are,  old  fellow  !  " 

1  The  young  gentleman  thus  addressed  heard  the  call, 
and,  catching  sight  of  the  party,  made  a  rush  for  them, 
and,  as  he  reached  the  boys,  held  out  both  hands,  each 
one  of  which  was  grasped  by  three  of  his  friends. 


14  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  How  are  you,  fellows?"  queried  the  young  gentle- 
man who  had  thus  been  unceremoniously  pounced 
upon,  and  who  was  none  other  than  Mr.  Philip  De 
Ruyter,  of  Brooklyn,  N.Y.,  who  had  come  on  to  join 
his  Boston  friends  for  a  trip  to  the  woods  and  lakes  of 
Maine. 

"  First-rate,  Phil." 

"  Never  better." 

"Bang  up." 

"  Gay  and  festive." 

"Young  and  saucy." 

"  Well  and  hearty,"  answered  his  friends  in  one 
breath. 

"  How  did  you  leave  your  folks,  Phil,  and  are  they 
coming  up  this  way  this  summer?  "  interrogated  Andrew 
St.  Clair,  who  had  visited  his  friend  at  his  home,  and 
who  had  an  especial  regard  for  his  friend's  sister. 

"  Oh,  father  and  mother  were  well.  They  are  going 
to  Mount  Desert  in  August,  and  to  the  mountains  in 
September,  and  I  think  quite  possible  they  may  visit 
the  lakes.  Violet  was  down  to  Long  Branch,  stopping 
a  few  weeks  with  some  friends  who  have  a  cottage 
there.  She  will  return  home  though  in  time  to  visit 
the  mountains  with  father  and  mother.  The  folks  sent 
their  regards  to  all  of  you." 

"  Remember  us  to  them,"  replied  Claude,  "  in  the 
first  letter  you  write." 

While  the  train  is  speeding  on  its  way,  a  little 
information  about  the  characters  in  our  story  to  those 
who  have  not  read  the  first  volume  of  this  series  may 
not  come  amiss.  The  six  young  gentlemen  first 
introduced  were  Claude  Emerson,  Andrew  St.  Clair, 


Northward  Bound.  15 

Charles  Wingate,  Frank  Maynard,  Thomas  Le  Roy, 
and  John  Adams,  Jr.,  of  Boston,  who  two  years  before 
had  made  a  trip  to  the  Maine  woods,  and  who  had 
enjoyed  themselves  so  much  on  that  occasion  that  they 
had  determined  to  try  it  again.  During  their  first  ex- 
cursion they  had  met  Philip  De  Ruyter,  on  the  steamer 
on  Umbagog  Lake,  who  with  his  relatives  and  friends 
were  going  up  the  Magalloway.  The  parties  all  became 
well  acquainted,  and  St.  Clair  had  fallen  in  love  with 
De  Ruyter's  sister,  and  the  young  lady  had  smiled  upon 
him,  and  he  had  continued  to  be  very  attentive  to  her, 
and  hoped  some  time  to  marry  her.  De  Ruyter  had 
visited  his  Boston  friends  once  since  their  first  meeting 
in  the  Maine  wilderness,  and  St.  Clair  and  Emerson  had 
visited  him  in  Brooklyn,  where  he  lived. 

There  had  been  nine  in  Claude's  party  on  the  first 
excursion,  and  of  the  missing  three,  William  Foster  was 
in  California,  his  folks  having  moved  there ;  David 
Smith  had  died  the  past  winter  of  typhoid  fever,  and 
George  Robbins  had  gone  down  to  Florida  to  live  with 
an  uncle  who  had  started  a  large  orange  grove,  and 
who  was  intending  to  make  the  cultivation  of  the  fruit 
his  whole  business. 

"  Did  you  bring  your  boats  along,  Claude?  "  inquired 
De  Ruyter. 

"  Yes,  sir.     They  are  in  the  baggage-car." 

"We  had  them  freshly  painted,"  added  St.  Clair, 
"  and  they  look  as  good  as  new." 

"  Don't  you  think  it  a  little  risky  to  try  this  trip 
without  guides,  Claude?  Isn't  there  danger  of  one 
getting  lost  ?  And  then  the  cooking,  and  the  other  work. 
I  am  afraid  it  will  be  too  much  for  us." 


16  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,"  answered  the  leader  of  the  party. 
"We  talked  the  guide  business  over  thoroughly,  and 
came  to  a  unanimous  conclusion  that  we  would  try  it 
one  year  without  them.  Of  course  we  do  not  intend  to 
kill  ourselves  with  hard  work.  For  instance,  we  can 
hire  some  men  to  carry  our  boats,  and  the  heaviest  of 
our  stores  from  Second  Lake  to  Parmachenoe.  We  can 
have  them  hauled  as  far  as  Second  Lake  by  team.  As 
for  the  cooking,  we  are  all  accomplished  cooks.  Have 
been  taking  lessons  at  home  for  six  months,  and  the 
other  work  connected  with  camping,  such  as  cutting 
wood,  carrying  water,  etc.,  will  not  be  very  hard 
divided  among  seven  of  us." 

"  It  will  toughen  our  muscles,  and  give  us  good  appe- 
tites," put  in  Maynard  with  a  laugh. 

"  Yes,  Phil,  it  will  do  you  good  to  cut  a  cord  or  two 
of  wood  in  the"  morning  before  breakfast,"  chimed  in 
Le  Roy. 

"Me?  I  couldn't  cut  a  cord  of  wood  in  a  week," 
and  De  Ruyter  glanced  at  his  hands,  which  were  white 
and  soft,  in  a  manner  that  brought  foi'th  a  shout  of 
laughter  from  his  friends. 

"I'll  bet  on  you,"  said  Claude,  "when  the  time 
comes." 

A  few  moments  after  this  a  sharp  whistle  was  heard 
from  the  engine,  and  the  air-brakes  were  applied  with 
such  suddenness  as  nearly  to  throw  every  one  out  of  their 
seats,  and  the  train  with  a  jar  and  a  shock  came  sudden- 
ly to  a  halt. 

"  I  wonder  what  that  means,"  said  Adams. 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Claude  ;  "  let's  get  out  and 
see.  I  hope  they  are  not  trying  to  pass  another  train 


Almost  an  Accident.  17 

on  the  same  track.  That  generally  makes  bad  busi- 
ness." 

"You  are  right  there,"  remarked  Phil,  as  the  boys 
left  their  seats. 

They  stepped  out  beside  the  cars,  and  found  several 
more  of  the  passengers  hurrying  toward  the  engine. 
As  they  neared  the  locomotive  they  discovered  the  cause 
of  the  trouble.  The  place  where  the  train  had  been 
brought  to  its  sudden  stand-still  was  at  the  beginning 
of  a  sharp  curve,  and  between  two  high  banks,  and 
from  the  one  on  the  right  a  large  boulder  had  been  dis- 
lodged, probably  by  the  jar  of  a  passing  train,  and  had 
rolled  down  the  side  of  the  cutting  and  landed  in  the 
middle  of  the  track.  Owing  to  the  curve  the  train  had 
come  very  near  it  before  the  engineer  saw  it,  and  hence 
the  suddenness  and  force  with  which  the  air-brakes  had 
been  applied.  It  had  been  a  narrow  escape  from  what 
would  assuredly  have  been  a  bad  accident,  and  the  pas- 
sengers had  reason  to  be  thankful. 

When  the  boys  reached  the  engine,  the  train  hands, 
from  brakemen  to  conductor,  were  trying  to  roll  the 
huge  stone  off  the  track  ;  but  they  could  not  budge  it  an 
inch.  As  one  of  the  brakemen  remarked,  "  They 
hadn't  beef  enough." 

"  We  shall  have  to  procure  a  long  lever,  and  get  some 
of  the  passengers  to  help  us  before  we  can  start  that 
fellow,"  said  the  engineer  to  the  conductor.  u  That 
rock  will  weigh  two  or  three  tons." 

The  conductor  ordered  two  of  the  brakemen  to  get 
axes  from  the  baggage-car,  and  go  to  a  piece  of  woods 
a  few  rods  away,  and  cut  a  yellow-birch  or  maple 
stick  about  six  inches  through  and  twenty  or  thirty  feet 


18  Wild  Woods  Life. 

long.  The  brakemen  went  for  the  lever,  while  the  pas- 
sengers—  about  all  that  were  on  the  train  had  "  come  to 
the  front" — were  busily  engaged  in  giving  the  engineer 
and  conductor  advice  as  to  the  best  method  of  removing 
the  boulder.  The  fireman  having  procured  a  crow-bar 
from  one  of  the  cars,  a  hole  was  made  in  the  ground  on 
one  side  the  boulder,  so  as  the  lever  could  be  pushed 
well  under  it,  and  the  engineer  brought  a  large  flat  rock 
as  a  bait  for  his  pry.  By  this  time  the  brakemen  had 
returned  with  a  stick  about  twenty-five  feet  long,  —  a 
tough  piece  of  yellow-birch.  They  champered  one  end 
of  the  pry  a  little,  then  pushed  the  stick  as  far  under  the 
boulder  as  it  would  go,  and  placed  the  flat  stone  that 
was  to  serve  as  a  bait  close  up  to  it,  then  the  engineer 
invited  all  the  "  strong  men "  to  give  them  a  lift. 
Several  of  the  passengers  responded  to  his  invitation  by 
pulling  off  their  coats,  and  taking  hold  of  the  pry. 

"All  ready!"  cried  the  engineer.  "  Now  give  it  to 
her  !  All  together,  with  a  will.  There  she  rises  !  "  and 
the  heavy  stone  was  turned  up  about  a  foot.  "  Now 
trig  it !  "  yelled  the  engineer  as  one  end  of  the  lever 
was  brought  to  the  ground.  u  Jack  "  —  to  his  fireman  — 
"put  a  rock  under  that  boulder,  quick!"  This  was 
done,  and  the  lever  readjusted,  and  then  as  many  as 
could  took  hold  again,  and  the  boulder  was  carried  up 
so  high  that  it  balanced. 

"  Now  comes  the  tug  of  war!  "  cried  the  engineer. 

o  o 

*'  Ten  or  twelve  of  you  who  are  standing  there  looking 
on,  throw  the  rock  over,  if  you  can,  while  we  hold  the 
cant  of  it."  A  crowd  responded  to  this  appeal,  and 
pushing,  slowly,  the  boulder  finally  went  over  and 
lodged  in  the  ditch,  out  of  the  way  of  the  trains.  Then 


Groveton  Junction,  19 

a  shout  of  triumph  went  up  from  all  hands,  the  tools 
were  placed  in  the  car,  the  passengers  took  their  seats, 
and,  with  a  prolonged  whistle  from  the  engine,  the 
train  started  off  after  an  hour's  delay. 

"  It's  lucky  that  rock  did  not  come  down  in  the  night," 
remarked  St.  Clair,  as  the  boys  made  their  way  through 
the  train  to  the  parlor-car. 

"•  That  is  so,"  answered  Claude,  "  it  would  probably 
have  wrecked  a  train  if  it  had.  And  if  our  engineer 
had  not  been  tending  to  his  business,  I  think  we  should 
have  had  something  more  than  a  little  shaking  up." 

"Do  you  suppose  they  will  make  up  the  time?" 
queried  Wingate.  "If  they  don't  we  may  miss  our 
connections  with  the  Grand  Trunk  train." 

"  If  we  do,"  replied  Claude,  "  we  can  hire  a  team  at 
Groveton,  and  drive  up  to  North  Stratford.  It  is  only 
thirteen  miles.  However,  I  don't  propose  to  worry 
about  it." 

At  Lancaster  the  train  had  made  up  half  an  hour  of 
the  lost  time,  and  they  reached  Groveton  Junction  only 
twenty  minutes  behind,  and  found  the  Grand  Trunk 
train  awaiting  them.  Everything  had  to  be  changed 
here,  and  Claude  and  his  friends  were  anxious  about 
their  boats,  not  knowing  whether  they  could  get  them 
on  the  Grand  Trunk  train. 

After  the  baggage  had  been  changed,  Claude  spoke 
to  the  Grand  Trunk  baggage-master,  and  he  said  the 
boats  would  have  to  go  in  the  express-car  if  they  went 
at  all,  as  there  was  no  room  in  his  car  for  them.  And 
an  inspection  of  it  by  Wingate  showed  that  he  spoke 
the  truth.  Then  the  boys  tackled  the  express  agent,  and 
he  agreed  to  take  them  in  his  car  for  fifty  cents  each. 


20  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Claude  willingly  paid  this,  ancl  the  boats  were  loaded. 
Then  the  train  was  off,  and  after  half  an  hour's  ride  they 
reached  North  Stratford,  a  little  after  seven  o'clock. 

As  soon  as  they  left  the  cars  the  boys  went  over  to  the 
Willard  House  and  had  supper,  and  made  an  engage- 
ment with  the  landlord,  who  had  a  livery  stable,  to  haul 
their  boats  and  the  most  of  their  baggage  to  Colebrook, 
the  next  day.  By  this  time  the  stage  was  ready,  and 
they  climbed  up  on  the  outside,  and  as  the  seats  would 
only  hold  five,  besides  the  driver,  Le  Roy  and  Adams 
made  themselves  as  comfortable  as  they  could  on  the 
roof. 

It  was  quarter  past  eight  when  the  driver  cracked  his 
whip,  and  yelled  "  G'lang  "  to  his  horses,  and  with  the 
bovs  outside,  three  passengers,  all  men,  inside,  and  a 
rack  piled  high  with  baggage  and  express-matter,  the 
coach  turned  the  corner  of  the  hotel,  and  the  horses,  fresh 
from  the  stable,  took  the  hill  at  a  gallop. 

"  Hope  you  won't  capsize  us,  driver,"  remarked 
Claude,  who  was  seated  beside  the  Knight  of  the  Rib- 
bons, as  the  stage  reached  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  bowled 
along  at  a  rattling  pace. 

"  I  guess  there  aint  much  danger  of  that,"  replied  the 
driver  with  a  laugh  ;  "  I  never  tipped  a  team  over  in  my 
life." 

"  There  has  to  be  a  first  time  for  everything,"  said 
Phil,  who  occupied  the  seat  with  the  driver  and  Claude. 

"  So  I  suppose,"  said  the  reinsman,  as  he  touched 
up  his  horses  ;  u  but  I  shan't  capsize  this  coach  to-night 
all  the  same." 

"  It  seems  to  me  you  have  chosen  a  cheerful  subject 
for  conversation,  Claude,"  sang  out  Le  Roy  from  his 


Runaway  Horses.  21 

perch  on  the  roof.  "  If  the  old  ark  should  go  over,  where 
do  you  suppose  Adams  and  I  would  go  to?  " 

"  '  Go  to  grass,'  I  guess,  if  there  was  any  by  the  road 
side,"  put  in  Maynard,  merrily. 

By  the  time  they  had  reached  the  Columbia  post-office 
it  had  began  to  cloud  up,  the  sky  having  the  appearance 
of  rain.  As  the  coach  rattled  along,  the  darkness  mo- 
mentarily increased,  until  finally,  after 'having  nearly 
run  down  a  single  team,  the  driver  of  which  anathema- 
tized the  Knight  of  the  Ribbons,  in  curses  both  loud  and 
deep,  the  stage-driver  pulled  up  his  horses,  asking  Claude 
to  hold  the  reins  while  he  went  down  and  lit  his  lamps. 
He  had  lighted  one  and  was  passing  around  behind  the 
stage  to  get  at  the  other  when  a  bird  or  a  bat  flew  in  front 
of  the  leaders,  and  frightened  them,  and  with  a  wild 
jump  they  started  on  a  gallop,  the  pole  horses  following 
their  lead.  The  driver  had  neglected  to  put  on  the  brake 
when  he  left  his  seat,  and  the  coach  started  easier  than 
it  would  otherwise  have  done. 

Here  was  a  situation  that  Claude  had  not  counted  on, 
and  he  hung  to  the  reins  with  all  his  strength. 

Meanwhile  the  king,  who  had  so  suddenly  lost  his 
throne,  was  running  after  the  stage  as  fast  as  a  heavy 
overcoat  would  permit  him,  for  the  evening  had  grown 
chilly,  and  he  had  donned  his  outside  garment  during 
their  stop  at  Columbia,  and  was  shouting  at  the  top  of 
his  voice  for  Claude  to  "  stop  !  "  and  "  hold  on  !  "  and 
"  pull  up  those  horses,  can't  you  ?  "  without  having  much 
effect  on  the  team,  and  as  the  distance  between  them 
increased  his  voice  grew  fainter  and  fainter,  and  finally 
the  boys  lost  it  altogether. 

"  Saw  their  mouths  with  the  bits,  and  then  you  can 


22  Wild  Woods  Life. 

pull  them  up,"  suggested  Phil  to  Claude,  who  sat  all 
nerved  up,  his  feet  braced  against  the  foot-board,  two 
turns  of  the  reins  wound  around  his  hands,  and  pulling 
as  if  his  life  depended  on  it. 

"  Pull  your  grandfather  up!"  shouted  Claude.  "  I 
believe  the  rascals  have  the  bits  between  their  teeth,  I 
can't  make  any  impression  on  them." 

"  If  you  don't  stop  them  soon  we  shall  all  go  to  King- 
dom come,"  remarked  Wingate.  "  If  we  happen  to 
meet  a  team,  now,  you  will  see  the  splinters  fly."  "  Come 
down  beside  me,  St.  Clair,"  called  Claude,  "and  put 
on  the  brake.  Jam  it  down  for  dear  life,  and  I'll  give 
them  a  pull  at  the  same  time.  I  can't  see  much,  but  I 
believe  we  are  coming  to  an  up  grade,  and  perhaps  we 
can  stop  them  on  the  top  of  the  hill.  Be  careful  and  not 
get  thrown  off  when  you  change  seats." 

The  men  inside  the  coach,  who  had  been  talking 
loudly  among  themselves,  and  who  were  undoubtedly 
alarmed  at  the  rapid  rate  they  were  travelling,  and  the 
way  they  were  bounced  around,  now  made  themselves 
heard.  "What  is  the  matter  outside?"  shouted  one, 
with  his  head  out  of  the  left  door;  "what  are  you 
driving  so  fast  for?" 

"  Because  we  can't  help  it,"  answered  Phil,  who  was 
on  that  side,  and  he  chuckled  in  spite  of  the  situation. 

"  Yes  you  can,  too,"  returned  the  man,  angrily,  as 
one  of  the  wheels  went  over  a  rock  and  he  was  tossed 
up  against  the  roof  of  the  coach,  banging  his  hat  (he 
wore  a  beaver)  down  over  his  eyes.  "  If  you  don't  drive 
slower,  I'll  come  up  and  take  the  reins  myself." 

"  I  wish  to  heavens  you  would,"    shouted   Claude, 


A   Fault-finding  Passenger,  23 

who  had  caught  the  latter  part  of  the  remark ;  "  I  am 
not  crying  for  the  job." 

By  this  time  St.  Clair  had  put  the  brake  down,  and 
with  both  feet  jammed  hard  on  it,  pressed  it  against  the 
wheels  with  a  force  that  made  them  squeak,  while 
Claude  tugged  harder  than  ever  on  the  reins.  The  hill 
was  quite  steep,  and  the  united  pressure  of  Claude's  pull 
and  the  brake,  was  a  little  more  than  the  horses  could 
stand.  Besides,  they  had  recovered  somewhat  from 
their  fright,  and  as  they  climbed  the  hill  they  went 
slower  and  slower,  until  they  settled  down  to  a  walk, 
and  then  Claude  told  St.  Clair  to  let  off  the  brake. 

When  they  reached  the  top  of  the  hill  Claude  brought 
the  horses  to  a  stop,  and  St.  Clair  volunteered  to  get 
down  and  hold  the  leaders  until  the  Knight  of  the  Rib- 
bons should  make  his  appearance,  which  Claude  was 
very  glad  to  have  him  do,  not  knowing  but  what  the 
horses  might  take  it  into  their  heads  to  run  again. 

The  man  who  had  spoken  before  now  poked  his  head 
out  of  the  window. 

"  Where's  the  driver?" 

"  Oh,  back  on  the  road  a  couple  of  miles,  I  guess," 
returned  Phil,  nonchalantly. 

"  Why  didn't  you  stop  the  stage  before?"  in  a  very 
angry  tone  of  voice. 

"  Because  I  could  not,"  replied  Claude.  "  I  don't 
know  anything  about  horses ;  never  drove  one  half-a- 
dozen  times  in  my  life." 

"  What  business  have  you  up  therewith  the  driver?" 

"You  are  becoming  impertinent,  now,"  returned 
Claude,  coolly. 

"Impertinent!  me?     You  had  better  talk.     You're 


24  Wild  Woods  Life. 

a  saucy  young  scamp,  and  you  came  near  breaking  all 
our  necks." 

"  Small  loss  if  he  had  broken  yours,"  sang  out  Win- 
gate. 

"  What  did  you  say,  young  man?"  shouted  the  iras- 
cible passenger. 

"  I  said  it  may  rain  to-morrow,  if  it  is  not  pleasant," 
returned  Wingate,  with  a  chuckle. 

"  Oh,  shut  up,  old  sore-head !  Give  us  a  rest,"  said 
Phil,  as  he  climbed  down  and  lit  the  lamp  on  that  side, 
taking  a  look  at  the  open-mouthed  passenger  as  he  did 
so,  whom  he  found  to  be  an  old  man  about  sixty 
years  of  age. 

Just  then  the  driver,  puffing  and  panting,  came  along 
and  wanted  to  know  if  everything  was  all  right. 

The  boys  told  him  they  believed  it  was,  and  he 
climbed  up  to  his  throne,  just  as  the  old  fellow  from  the 
inside  broke  out  with,  "  You're  a  smart  man,  driver,  you 
are.  You  ought  to  be  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  this." 

"  Go  to  Jerusalem  ! "  returned  the  driver,  who  did 
not  seem  to  have  much  veneration  for  his  passenger, 
and  as  he  took  the  reins,  and  whipped  up  the  horses 
once  more,  he  told  the  boys  that  the  old  man  lived  two 
or  three  miles  beyond  Colebrook,  and  was  the  worst 
growler  in  the  whole  country. 

"  I  have  seen  pleasanter  men,"  said  Claude,  laughing 
at  the  graphic  description  the  driver  gave  of  him. 

"  Pleasant!  "  grunted  the  Knight  of  the  Ribbons  as 
he  laid  the  whip  to  his  horses,  "  he's  about  as  pleasant 
as  a  mad  dog,  and  I'd  just  as  leave  travel  with  one." 

"  Your  lamps  don't  light  up  very  well,"  remarked 
Phil,  who  on  his  side  was  vainly  endeavoring  to  pierce 


Cheap  Jokes.  —  Colebrook.  25 

the  darkness.  "  I  don't  know  how  you  can  see  anything, 
or  what  prevents  you  from  running  into  teams  if  you 
meet  them." 

"  Good  luck  and  guessing,"  returned  the  driver,  "  and 
it  is  seldom  we  have  such  dark  nights  as  this  ;  besides,  I 
know  every  inch  of  the  road." 

The  words  had  scai'cely  left  the  driver's  mouth  when 
bang  went  the  left  hind  wheel  against  a  large  stone,  the 
coach  being  a  little  out  of  the  road. 

"Knew  where  that  rock  was,  didn't  you?"  asked 
Phil,  laughing  ;  "  anyhow  you  struck  it  fair." 

"  Get  into  the  road  there  ;  what  are  you  doing?  "  and 
the  driver  tugged  at  his  reins,  and  gave  the  horses  the 
whip,  completely  ignoring  Phil's  remark. 

"  How  far  are  we  from  Colebrook,  now?"  inquired 
Claude. 

"About  four  miles  and  a  half.  We'll  come  to  a 
bridge  in  a  few  minutes.  It's  four  miles  to  the  village 
from  that  bridge." 

"Is  it  a  Bridge  of  Sighs?"  sang  out  Adams  from 
above. 

"  Punch  him,  Le  Roy,"  cried  St.  Clair.  "  If  we  give 
him  any  encouragement,  he'll  overwhelm  us  with  his 
cheap  jokes  before  we  reach  Colebrook,"  and  the  boys 
laughed,  as  Le  Roy  threatened  to  throw  him  off  the 
stage  if  he  tried  to  perpetrate  another  pun. 

At  eleven  o'clock,  without  farther  adventure,  the 
stage  rolled  up  to  the  Parsons  House,  and  the  boys 
alighted,  glad  of  the  chance  to  stretch  their  limbs  after 
their  tiresome  ride.  They  were  all  well  tired  out,  and 
it  did  not  take  them  long  to  find  the  landlord,  secure 
rooms,  and  retire  to  rest. 


20  Wild  Woods  Life. 

After  breakfast  the  next  morning,  they  fell  into  con- 
versation with  the  landlord,  and  learned  from  him  the 
best  places  to  buy  their  stores,  and  how  they  should  get 
to  Connecticut  Lake.  They  inquired  about  the  fishing 
in  the  vicinity  of  Colebrook,  and  whether  there  was  any 
shooting  in  the  country  around  them. 

The  landlord  told  them  a  long  yarn  about  a  huge 
wild-cat,  or  panther,  that  had  been  committing  devas- 
tation upon  sheep  between  Colebrook,  and  Dixville 
Notch,  and  informed  them  that  several  parties  had 
been  out  hunting  after  the  animal,  but  although  the 
hunters  had  tracked  it  some  ways,  none  of  them  had 
seen  it. 

Claude  laughed,  and  told  Mr.  Bailey  that  they  were 
going  to  Dixville  Notch  before  they  went  up  to  the 
lakes,  and  that  they  would  shoot  the  wild-cat  if  they 
obtained  a  sight  of  it. 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  "  laughed  Mr.  Bailey.  "  If  you  run 
across  the  wild-cat,  or  panther,  or  whatever  it  is,  you 
had  better  give  it  a  wide  berth.  I  don't  want  anything 
to  do  with  such  critters  as  that." 

Leaving  the  landlord,  the  boys  walked  out,  visited  a 
number  of  stores,  and  obtained  prices  on  articles  that 
they  should  be  likely  to  buy  when  they  started  north- 
ward. 

About  ten  o'clock  their  boats  and  baggage  arrived, 
and,  after  they  had  seen  to  the  disposition  of  their 
things,  they  took  out  their  fishing-tackle,  and  guns,  and 
ammunition,  and  made  ready  for  their  excursion  to  the 
Notch. 

As  soon  as  they  had  finished  dinner  they  hired  from 
Mr.  Bailey  a  two-horse  wagon  containing  three  seats, 


Panther  Excitement.  27 

and,  with  their  sporting- traps,  started  off.  It  was  ten 
miles  to  the  Notch  ;  and  they  told  the  driver  he  could  take 
them  about  six  miles,  and  they  would  walk  the  rest  of 
the  way  and  fish  some  of  the  brooks. 

It  seemed  that  the  wild-cat  the  landlord  had  told  them 
of  had  made  quite  a  stir  in  the  town,  as  that  was  all  the 
driver  talked  about  on  the  way,  and  he  told  them  he 
should  hate  to  be  out  after  dark  anywhere  near  the 
Notch. 

The  boys  looked  from  one  to  another  somewhat 
annoyed,  and  winked  back  and  forth,  as  the  driver  went 
on  telling  how  many  sheep  the  animal  had  destroyed, 
and  how  it  had  tackled  a  cow,  which  it  would  have 
killed  but  for  the  timely  arrival  of  a  farmer  and  his 
son  to  whom  the  animal  belonged,  and  who  frightened  off 
the  ferocious  beast,  only  to  find,  after  it  had  left,  that  the 
cow  was  so  badly  wounded  that  it  could  not  live,  and 
they  had  been  obliged  to  kill  it. 

"  I  should  think,"  remarked  Claude,  as  the  driver 
stopped  a  moment  for  breath,  "  that  you  would  form  a 
party  and  hunt  the  animal  down  and  slay  it.  There 
must  be  plenty  of  young  men  in  a  village  like  Colebrook 
who  own  guns  or  rifles,  and  know  how  to  use  them." 

"  Bless  your  soul !"  answered  the  driver,  "  they  have 
tried  it  two  or  three  times ;  but  the  critter  is  too  sharp 
for  them.  The  last  party  followed  it  to  the  thick 
woods,  somewhere  this  side  of  the  Notch,  and  tracked 
it  into  a  kind  of  pokerish  place,  and  they  let  it  go. 
The  fact  was,  I  guess,  they  didn't  dare  to  come  to  close 
quarters  with  it  in  the  forest,  where  the  animal  would 
have  every  advantage ;  and  I  snum,  I  don't  blame 
them." 


28  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  You  think,  then,"  said  St.  Clair,  "that  it  is  some- 
where about  the  Notch,  at  present?" 

"  Can't  say;  may  be  there,  and  may  not.  One  night 
it  will  kill  a  lamb  way  up  to  the  north  part  of  the  town, 
and  the  next  be  raising  the  Old  Harry  down  here." 

"  Well,  if  we  run  across  it  when  we  are  all  armed, 
we  will  let  daylight  into  it,"  added  Wingate,  who  was 
a  capital  shot  with  a  rifle. 

"  If  you  see  it,"  warned  the  driver,  "you  had  better 
make  tracks,  or  it  may  let  daylight  into  you." 

"  We'll  risk  it,"  returned  Maynard,  and  the  subject 
was  changed  to  fishing,  the  driver  telling  them  where 
they  would  be  likely  to  have  the  best  luck. 

About  three  o'clock  he  stopped  his  horses  beside  the 
road,  a  little  less  than  four  miles  from  the  Dix  House, 
and  the  boys  taking  their  guns,  rifles,  ammunition,  and 
fishing-tackle,  struck  for  a  trout  brook,  near  them,  that 
headed  somewhere  in  the  Notch.  As  the  driver  turned 
his  team  around,  Claude  called  back  to  him  to  come 
for  them  at  the  Dix  House  on  Friday  afternoon. 

In  fifteen  minutes  they  had  reached  the  brook,  and 
Claude,  St.  Clair,  Wingate,  and  De  Ruyter  put  their 
rods  together,  selected  their  favorite  flies,  and  scattered 
along  the  stream  in  quest  of  some  promising  pools,  May- 
nard, Le  Roy,  and  Adams  agreeing  to  carry  all  the 
fire-arms,  besides  their  own  rods,  so  as  to  relieve  the 
fishermen. 

Phil  caught  the  first  fish,  a  troutlet  about  three  inches 
long,  and  with  some  disgust  returned  it  to  its  native  ele- 
ment. Ten  minutes  afterward,  however,  he  was  more 
fortunate,  striking  a  half-pounder  in  the  same  pool,  which 
he  secured,  and  threw  into  the  basket  slung  from  his 


Brook  Fishing.  29 


shoulder.  St.  Clair  was  the  next  lucky  man,  and  his  first 
catch  was  a  trifle  larger  than  Phil's,  and  he  claimed  that 
it  would  weigh  three-quarters  of  a  pound.  Claude,  in 
making  his  first  cast,  caught  his  fly  in  a  tree  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  stream,  which  he  was  obliged  to 
wade,  before  he  could  clear  it,  and  Wingate  hooked  into 
an  old  snag  under  water,  and  spent  half  an  hour  in 
clearing  his  hook  rather  than  run  the  risk  of  breaking 
his  tackle. 

Thus  the  sport  went  on,  with  all  the  pleasures  and 
vexations  that  brook-fishing  is  subject  to  ;  and  the  boys 
found,  in  spite  of  a  gentle  breeze  that  occasionally  fanned 
their  hot  faces,  that  it  was  warm  work. 

The  amusing  incident  of  the  afternoon  was  while 
the  whole  party  were  climbing  over  a  snarled  and  twisted 
mass  of  windfalls,  when  Maynard  stumbled  and  fell 
head-first  down  into  a  hole,  from  which  he  found  it 
utterly  impossible  to  extricate  himself.  After  standing 
on  his  hands  and  head  for  two  or  three  minutes,  which 
time  he  spent  in  futile  attempts  to  free  himself,  he  called 
lustily  to  his  friends,  who  were  all  ahead  of  him,  to  come 
and  help  him  out.  Claude  and  St.  Clair  went  back,  and 
found  him  in  the  hole,  his  heels  two  or  three  feet  below 
the  top  of  the  windfalls.  When  they  saw  him  they  burst 
out  laughing  in  spite  of  their  fears  that  he  might  be  in- 
jured. He  presented  such  a  comical  sight  they  could 
not  help  it. 

"  Are  you  hurt  any,  Frank?"  inquired  Claude,  as  he 
reached  the  hole  and  peered  down  into  it. 

"No,  but  I  can't  get  out.  I  hav'n't  room  to  turn 
around.  Grab  me  by  the  feet  and  lift  me  up,  and 
don't  be  all  day  about  it." 


30  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"What  are  you  doing  down  there,  Maynard,  have  you 
started  for  China?"  asked  St.  Clair,  as  he  climbed  over 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  hole. 

"None  of  your  fooling,  St.  Clair.  I  am  not  in  a  mind 
for  joking  at  present.  Just  get  me  out  of  here,  will 
you?" 

"  All  right,  my  boy  ;  we'll  snake  you  out  before  you 
can  say  Jack  Robinson  !  Look  out  for  yourself,  now. 
I'll  take  hold  of  his  foot  this  side,  Claude,  and  you  get 
hold  of  the  one  on  your  side,  and  I  guess  we  can  fetch 
him.  Now  then." 

The  boys  seized  both  of  Maynard's .  feet  as  St.  Clair 
had  suggested,  and,  lifting  with  all  their  strength,  for  he 
was  a  dead  weight  on  them,  managed  to  pull  him  to  the 
top  of  the  trees,  where  it  was  discovered  that  with  the 
exceptions  of  a  lump  on  his  forehead  and  a  small  scratch 
on  his  nose,  he  was  none  the  worse  for  his  singular 
tumble. 

"  Well,  Frank,"  declared  Claude,  as  he  gazed  down 
into  the  place,  which  was  between  seven  and  eight  feet 
deep,  "  if  you  are  not  a  lucky  fellow  I  never  saw  one. 
Nothing  but  a  kind  Providence  kept  you  from  breaking 
your  neck.  I  wouldn't  fall  into  that  hole  as  you  did, 
and  take  the  chances,  for  a  thousand  dollars." 

"It  was  nothing  to  fall  in,"  replied  Maynard,  laughing, 
"the  trouble  was  to  fall  out.  Where  is  my  rod?  I 
dropped  it  somewhere  when  I  took  that  dive." 

The  boys  looked  about  and  soon  found  the  rod,  un- 
injured, and  then  made  their  way  to  their  friends,  where 
Maynard's  nose  and  forehead  were  immediately  a  subject 
of  comment. 

"What    is   the   matter,  Maynard?"  inquired   Phil; 


The  Panther's  Lair.  31 

"  have  you  run  across  that  panther,  and  been  fighting 
him  single-handed  ?  " 

"  Tumbled  over  a  windfall,"  suggested  Adams,  with 
a  laugh. 

"  Or  run  across  a  hornet' s-nest,"  added  Wingate, 

"  How  smart  you  fellows  are  !  "  replied  the  victim  of 
the  accident.  "  You'll  live  forever  if  you  don't  die  some 
time." 

"The  truth  is,"  said  St.  Clair,  "he's  thinking  of 
joining  a  circus,  and  has  been  pi'actising  on  tumbling." 

"  Tumbled  well,  did  he?"  queried  Le  Roy. 

"  He  tumbled  into  a  well  would  be  a  better  way  to 
put  it,"  answered  Claude  laughing;  "only  it  was  a  dry 
well." 

"  That  was  well  done,"  remarked  Adams. 

"  I'll  do  you,"  declared  Maynard,  joining  in  the 
laugh  against  himself,  "  if  you  don't  shut  up.  It's  time 
we  were  moving  on  "(looking  at  his  watch)  ;  "  it  is  most 
six  o'clock." 

"  How  many  fish  have  been  taken?"  inquired  Phil. 

The  four  fishermen  counted  up,  and  found  they  had 
thirty-five.  Claude  announced  the  count,  and  said  he 
thought  that  would  be  enough  for  their  supper,  and  he 
agreed  with  Maynard  that  it  was  time  they  were  head- 
ing for  the  hotel. 

They  had  to  go  through  a  thick  piece  of  woods  to 
reach  the  road,  and  among  the  trees  was  considerable 
underbrush.  As  they  were  slowly  making  their  way 
through  this  they  came  to  a  spot  where  the  bushes  and 
young  trees  had  been  beaten  down  some,  and  here  they 
found  fragments  of  wool  and  a  torn  sheepskin,  besides 
several  bones,  showing  conclusively  that  some  wild  ani- 


32  Wild  Woods  Life. 

mal  had  dined  here  on  a  lamb.  This  was  a  discovery  ; 
and  amid  startled  exclamations,  the  boys  looked  with 
alarm  around  them.  In  the  immediate  vicinity  they 
saw  several  trees  with  the  bark  scratched  off  where  some 
animal  had  been  trying  his  claws,  and  from  the  looks 
of  the  marks  they  judged  it  must  be  a  large  one. 

"  It  strikes  me,"  said  Claude,  excitedly,  "  that  we  are 
pretty  near  where  that  panther  took  his  last  meal,  and 
as  he  may  be  hungry  again  by  this  time,  we  had  better 
load  up ; "  and,  drawing  a  couple  of  shells  from  his 
pocket  loaded  with  buck-shot,  he  slipped  them  into  his 
gun,  while  the  other  boys  followed  his  example. 

"  I  don't  believe  he  would  attack  so  many  of  us,"  re- 
marked St.  Clair. 

"Perhaps  not.  But  if  he  is  lurking  about  here  it  is 
just  as  well  to  be  prepared  for  him." 

"  Hang  the  panther  !  "  Wingate  said.  "  He  probably 
is  not  within  ten  miles  of  here  now,  and  I  am  getting 
confoundedly  hungry.  Let's  push  along." 

"  All  right,"  returned  Claude,  as  he  started  on ; 
tl  only  keep  your  eyes  open." 

The  boys  reached  the  road  without  further  cause  for 
alarm,  and  struck  out  for  the  Dix  House.  Phil  had  been 
over  the  road  two  years  before,  and  told  his  friends  that 
as  near  as  he  could  remember  they  were  about  two  miles 
from  the  hotel. 

They  soon  reached  a  small  house,  the  occupants  of 
which  stared  at  them  from  the  door  with  wide-opened 
eyes,  and  a  man,  near  the  barn,  asked  them  if  they 
were  not  afraid  to  be  out  in  the  woods,  telling  them 
that  there  was  a  wild-cat  around  there,  and  that  it 
carried  off  one  of  his  lambs  the  night  before. 


The  Countryman's  Astonishment.  33 

"He  didn't  carry  it  far,"  said  Claude,  laughing; 
"  we  ran  across  the  place  where  he  eat  it,  just  back 
here  in  the  woods  half  a  mile." 

"Is  that  so?"  remarked  the  man.  "  Consarn  his  pict- 
ur',  I  mean  to  set  a  trap  for  him  to-night,  and  I  shall 
house  all  my  sheep." 

"  That  will  be  useless  trouble,"  replied  St.  Clair. 
"  Lightning  don't  strike  twice  in  the  same  place." 

"  Perhaps  yer  right  about  lightnin',  but  that  ere 
durned  critter,  in  my  opinion,  is  likely  to  come  prowl- 
ing around  here  ag'in,  and  if  he  does  I  calkerlate  he'll 
get  inter  trouble,  durn  him  !  " 

"  How  far  is  it  to  the  Dix  House  ?  "  inquired  Maynard. 

"  'Bout  a  mile  an'  a  half.  Goin'  ter  stop  there  to- 
night?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Met  with  some  accident,  ha'n't  ye?  I  see  yer  got  a 
lump  over  your  eye  and  a  scratch  on  yer  nose." 

"  He  nose  it,"  chuckled  Adams. 

"And  I  nose  that  he  nose  that  you  nose  it,"  added 
Phil,  with  a  grin  at  the  bewildered  look  on  the  country- 
man's face  ;  and  the  boys  resumed  their  walk. 

They  kept  a  sharp  lookout  for  wild-cats  and  panthers 
during  the  rest  of  the  distance,  but  nothing  appeared 
to  disturb  them,  and  they  reached  the  hotel  about  seven 
o'clock,  and  informed  the  landlord  that  the  sooner  he 
could  get  supper  for  them  the  better  it  would  suit 
them. 

"  Canyon  cook  these  trout  for  our  supper?"  asked 
Claude  as  the  boys  emptied  their  baskets. 

"  I  guess  we  can." 

"  How  long  will  it  take?" 


34  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"About  half  an  hour.  If  you'll  step  into  the  office 
the  clerk  will  show  you  rooms,  while  I  carry  your  fish 
to  the  kitchen,  and  see  about  your  supper." 

"All  right,  Mr.  Parsons,"  said  Phil.  "Come  on, 
boys ;  I  know  the  ropes  here.  We  stopped  here  three 
days  when  our  folks  went  through  two  years  ago,  but 
the  old  gentleman  has  evidently  forgotten  me." 

"  Shows  you  are  not  worth  remembering,"  laughed 
Adams. 

The  boys  stepped  into  the  hotel,  and,  taking  the  shells 
from  their  guns  and  rifles,  stood  them  in  a  corner,  and 
then  registered  their  names  ;  after  which  the  clerk  showed 
them  to  their  rooms,  and  they  carried  up  their  things 
and  had  a  good  wash,  which  made  them  feel  better,  for 
the  latter  part  of  the  road  had  been  dusty,  and  they  had 
felt  sticky  and  dirty. 

After  performing  their  toilets  they  descended  to  the 
piazza  and  enjoyed  the  beauty  and  quiet  of  the  scene 
around  them,  watching  and  commenting  on  the  other 
guests  of  the  house,  of  whom  there  were  several  in  sight. 
In  about  fifteen  minutes  the  clerk  informed  them  that 
their  supper  was  ready,  and  led  the  way  to  the  dining- 
room,  and  gave  them  a  table  by  themselves.  Although 
the  regular  supper  hour  was  six  o'clock,  a  few  tardy 
ones  were  still  eating. 

"  Now,  boys,"  said  Claude,  smiling,  as  they  sat 
down,  "  show  your  bringing  up,  and  don't  frighten  the 
girl  to  death  when  she  comes  to  take  your  orders." 

"  Bless  her  dear  soul !  "  replied  St.  Clair,  as  a  rosy- 
cheeked  girl,  in  a  neat  dress,  wearing  a  dainty  white 
apron,  approached  the  table,  "  I  wouldn't  harm  a  hair 
of  her  head." 


A   Good  Supper.  35 

"  Keep  still,"  added  Phil,  "she'll  hear  you." 

The  girl  took  their  orders,  which  must  have  been  un- 
usually numerous,  as  an  amused  smile  played  across  her 
face  for  a  moment,  lighting  it  up  prettily,  and  then  she 
disappeared  in  the  kitchen.  In  a  few  moments  she  re- 
turned, accompanied  by  another  girl,  the  second  one 
bearing  in  one  hand  a  large  platter  upon  which  lay  the 
trout  in  browny  crispness,  surrounded  by  thin  slices  of 
pork,  in  the  other  a  dish  of  fried  potatoes.  These  were 
placed  in  the  centre  of  the  table,  and  the  girl  went  out, 
while  the  first  one  added  bread,  berries,  cold  beef  and 
chicken,  to  the  fish  and  potatoes,  and  then,  through  a 
slide  in  the  wall,  called  for  tea  and  coffee.  These  were 
soon  furnished ;  two  plates  of  doughnuts  and  a  basket 
of  cake  were  also  placed  on  the  table,  and  the  girl  with- 
drew a  short  distance. 

The  supper  was  highly  satisfactory,  judging  by  the 
way  the  boys  cleared  the  dishes ;  and  they  kept  the 
young  lady  who  waited  upon  them  sobusy  that  Wingate 
tried  in  vain  to  carry  on  a  conversation.  The  fact  that 
she  was  a  little  shy,  and  not  disposed  to  meet  his  ad- 
vances half-way,  did  not  help  him  any,  nor  did  the 
remarks  of  his  friends,  who,  seeing  how  the  land  lay, 
bothered  him  with  exasperating  speeches,  and  gave  him 
occasional  kicks  and  punches  under  the  table.  The  meal 
over,  the  boys  returned  to  the  piazza  and  scraped  ac- 
quaintance with  some  of  the  other  guests. 

An  old  fellow,  half  hunter,  half  guide,  who  was  em- 
ployed in  various  capacities  around  the  house,  hearing 
the  boys  speak  of  the  panther,  asked  them  a  few  ques- 
tions about  what  they  had  seen,  and  then  branching  off 
on  another  course,  began  to  tell  of  hunts  of  his  own,  and 


36 


Wild  Woods  Life. 


entertained  them  until  ten  o'clock  with  stories  of  his  own 
prowess  in  the  forest,  which,  if  not  true,  —  and  the  boys 
sagely  thought  that  many  of  them  were  not,  —  at  least 
had  the  merit  of  being  interesting.  Finally,  at  the  con- 
clusion of  a  wonderful  bear  hunt,  the  old  fellow  said  he 
must  go  to  bed,  and  the  boys  followed  his  example. 


Sight- seeing.  37 


CHAPTER  II. 

Sight-seeing.  —  A  frightened  Granger.  —  A  Panther  Hunt.  —  Sudden 
Appearance  of  the  Animal.  —  A  frightened  Crowd.  —  The  Chase.  — 
In  at  the  Death.  —  Return  to  the  Hotel.  —  A  funny  Deer.  —  A  good 
Joke.  —  Off  for  Colebrook.  —  Collision  on  the  Road.  —  Settling 
Damages. 

THURSDAY  morning,  after  breakfast,  the  boys  started 
out  to  see  the  sights  in  the  vicinity,  under  the  guidance 
of  De  Ruyter,  who  was  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the 
neighborhood  to  know  where  all  the  objects  of  interest 
were.  With  a  wholesome  dread  of  the  panther,  they 
all  carried  their  guns  and  rifles,  determined  if  they  ran 
across  the  beast  to  give  him  a  warm  reception. 

They  visited  the  top  of  Table  Rock  first,  and,  after 
stopping  half  an  hour,  took  a  look  at  the  Snow  Cave, 
a  few  yards  away,  then  descended  to  the  road  ;  upon 
looking  at  his  watch  Claude  found  it  had  been  two 
hours  since  they  had  left  the  house. 

They  sat  down  on  some  rocks  beside  the  path,  and, 
after  resting  a  few  minutes,  visited  Columnar  Rock  and 
Pulpit  Rock,  and  took  a  look  at  the  Profile  Cliff,  or 
Old  Man  of  the  Mountain,  as  some  call  it.  P'rom  here 
they  continued  down  the  highway  toward  the  eastern 
end  of  the  Notch,  on  their  way  to  the  Flume.  Just 
before  reaching  the  path  that  led  to  the  Flume,  situated 
on  a  stream  a  few  rods  from  the  road,  they  met  a  coun- 
tryman, in  a  dilapidated  wagon,  driving  a  horse  that 


38  Wild  Woods  Life. 

looked  more  like  a  scarecrow  than  anything  else. 
When  they  first  saw  the  team  the  driver  was  belaboring 
the  poor  old  horse  in  great  shape,  laying  a  large  alder 
stick  over  his  body  with  such  resounding  whacks  that 
the  boys  could  hear  them  some  way  off. 

"Just  see  that  old  brute  pound  his  horse,"  cried 
Claude,  indignantly.  "  I  should  like  to  lay  the  stick  over 
him." 

"  They  need  the  society  with  the  long  name  down 
here,"  remarked  Phil,  "  to  look  after  such  fellows  as 
he." 

"  The  horse  is  nothing  but  skin  and  bones,  now," 
added  St.  Clair. 

"  The  old  buffer  is  probably  drunk,"  suggested  Adams. 

"  Took  his  bitters  early,  then,"  put  in  Wingate. 

As  they  neared  the  team  the  old  man  stopped  be- 
laboring his  nag  and  pulled  up  by  the  side  of  the 
road. 

"What  was  you  pounding  your  horse  for?"  asked 
Le  Roy,  as  the  boys  stopped  at  the  wagon. 

"  'Cause  I  was  in  a  hurry,"  answered  the  old  man, 
with  some  excitement.  "  Just  back  here  a  little  ways 
I  heerd  the  awfullest  noise  I  ever  heerd  in  my  life,  on 
the  left  side  of  the  road.  And  a  minute  arterwards  I 
seed  suthin'  go  across  the  road  like  a  streak  o'  lightnin'. 
Dunno  whether  it  was  a  wild-cat,  or  what  in  the  deuce 
it  was,  but  I  was  afraid  it  might  take  a  notion  to  go 
for  me,  and  I  just  stirred  the  old  mare  up  a  leetle." 

"  How  large  an  animal  was  it?  "  asked  Maynard. 

"  As  near  as  I  could  tell  from  what  leetle  I'd  seen  of 
it,  its  body  was  about  four  feet  long  and  its  legs  about 
afoot." 


A  Frightened  Granger.  39 

"  Nonsense,"  replied  Claude,  laughing.  "  You  was 
so  frightened  it  probably  looked  twice  as  large  to  you 
as  it  really  was." 

"  Mebbe,  mebbe,"  returned  the  countryman  ;  "  but  it 
was  a  durned  sight  bigger  animal  than  I  want  ter 
tackle." 

"Probably  it's  the  panther  that  has  been  making 
such  havoc  above  here,  killing  cows  and  carrying  off 
sheep,"  said  St.  Clair. 

"  Sho  !  yer  don't  say.     Are  you  fellows  arterhim?" 

"  Not  exactly,"  answered  Claude.  "  But  if  he  comes 
in  our  way  we'll  give  him  a  dose  of  leaden  pills  that 
will  trouble  his  digestion." 

"Pity  yer  couldn't  kill  him,"  remarked  the  country- 
man, as  he  clucked  to  his  mare,  and  gave  her  another 
taste  of  the  stick  ;  "  the  farmers  around  here  would  gin 
ye  a  leather  medal  if  yer  did." 

"  No  doubt  of  it,"  yelled  St.  Clair  after  him  as  he 
drove  away ;  "they  are  too  mean  to  give  you  anything 
that  would  cost  a  cent." 

"  What  are  we  to  do  now ?  "  queried  Adams,  —  "go 
back  to  the  house  or  keep  on  and  run  our  chances  of 
being  eaten  by  the  panther  ?  " 

"For  one,"  answered  Claude,  "I  say  go  on.  We 
have  four  rifles  and  three  shot-guns,  and  if  we  are  not 
able  to  cope  with  any  animal  smaller  than  a  grizzly 
bear,  we  must  be  mighty  poor  shots." 

"That's  the  talk,  Claude;  I'm  with  you,"  said  St. 
Clair.  "  Go  ahead,  Phil,  and  show  us  the  Flume,  pan- 
ther or  no  panther." 

"  Before  we  go  any  farther,"  suggested  Wingate,  "  I 
think  it  would  be  only  prudent  for  us  to  load  our  pieces. 


40  Wild  Woods  Life. 

If  we  should  run  across  the  animal  he  might  attack  us 
before  we  were  ready  for  him." 

"  A  good  idea,"  acknowledged  Claude  ;  "  but  do,  fel- 
lows, take  care,  and  not  shoot  each  other.  Carry  your 
pieces  at  half-cock,  and  take  care  and  not  stumble  when 
we  go  into  the  woods." 

"No  danger  of  that,"  said  Phil.  "  There  is  a  good 
path  from  the  road  to  the  Flume." 

The  boys  now  continued  their  walk,  and  soon  reached 
the  path,  into  which  they  turned.  The  woods  grew 
close  on  each  side  of  them,  and  it  was  but  natural  that 
they  should  keep  a  sharp  lookout  on  either  hand,  and 
halt  for  a  moment  if  they  heard  any  unusual  noise. 
They  reached  the  Flume,  however,  without  having  seen 
anything  to  shoot  at  larger  than  a  squirrel,  and  sat  down 
to  rest.  From  where  they  sat  they  could  see  the  fall  at 
the  head  of  the  Flume,  and,  after  enjoying  the  beauty  of 
the  cataract  for  a  few  moments,  left  their  seat  on  the 
mossy  ledge,  and,  going  to  the  edge  of  the  ravine,  stooped 
down  on  their  hands  and  knees  and  looked  down  into 
the  chasm.  The  ledge  on  which  they  now  were  shelved 
in  and  back  from  the  bed  of  the  stream,  and  Adams, 
who  was  the  farthest  to  the  right,  discovered,  at  the  base 
of  the  shelving  ledge,  just  beyond  the  flow  of  the  water, 
the  panther,  stretched  at  full  length,  apparently  enjoy- 
ing the  coolness  of  the  place.  With  a  startled  cry,  he 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  shouted,  "  The  panther!  the 
panther !  " 

"Where?  where?"  asked  his  friends,  anxiously,  as 
they  jumped  up  and  grasped  their  weapons. 

But  either  through  fright  or  excitement,  Adams  was 


A  Panther  Html.  41 

speechless,  and  could  only  point  in  a  nervous  way  to 
the  bottom  of  the  Flume. 

The  next  moment,  however,  the  boys  heard  a  noise 
below  them,  and,  with  a  blood-curdling  yell,  the  panther 
sprang  to  the  top  of  the  opposite  bank.  The  boys  all 
saw  him,  but  only  Claude  and  Wingate  had  the  pres- 
ence of  mind  to  fire,  and  apparently  they  both  hit  him  ; 
for  the  huge  cat  shook  himself,  turned  and  bit  savagely 
at  one  of  his  hind  legs,  and  then,  with  another  fearful 
yell,  gathered  himself  together,  and,  with  a  frightful 
bound,  cleared  the  chasm,  and  was  among  them. 

As  he  jumped,  St.  Clair  and  Phil  fired  at  him,  and 
this  undoubtedly  saved  some  of  their  lives,  as  they  both 
wounded  him,  and  the  panther,  who  had  evidently  in- 
tended to  attack  them,  turned,  on  reaching  the  spot  where 
they  were,  and  started  down  stream  through  the  woods 
on  three  legs,  with  the  blood  pouring  from  his  wounds. 

"  Hurrah  !  "  cried  Claude,  "  we've  sickened  him,  and 
now  let's  finish  him  ;  "  and,  taking  the  empty  shell  from 
his  gun,  he  put  in  a  loaded  one,  and  started  on  the  trail, 
which  was  plain  and  easy  to  follow. 

His  friends  hurried  after  him,  and  for  half  an  hour  or 
more  they  traced  the  wounded  beast  by  means  of  his 
blood,  which  was  plainly  perceptible  along  his  track, 
until  they  reached  a  point  where  he  had  entered  the 
stream. 

"  He  has  probably  crossed  the  brook,"  said  Claude, 
as  he  stooped  down  to  get  a  drink,  for  it  was  hot  in  the 
woods,  and  the  perspiration  was  streaming  down  his 
face. 

"Perhaps  he  has  a  den  about  here,"  suggested  St. 
Clair. 


42  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  It's  one  o'clock,  fellows,"  remarked  Adams,  look- 
ing at  his  watch.  "  I  move  we  let  him  slide,  and  go  back 
to  the  hotel.  I  am  getting  hungry." 

The  others  loudly  protested  against  this  proposition, 
Maynard  declaring  that  now  he  had  got  his  hair  down 
smooth  again,  he  wanted  a  shot  at  him,  and  adding,  to 
the  edification  of  his  friends,  that  when  the  panther  gave 
that  first  yell,  his  hair  stood  on  end,  and  he  forgot  all 
about  his  rifle. 

"  Come  on,  boys,"  cried  Phil,  as  he  waded  into  the 
brook,  the  water  being  about  six  inches  deep;  "  we 
shall  find  his  track  somewhere  on  the  other  side." 

The  rest  of  the  party  followed,  and,  after  hunting  for 
five  minutes,  they  discovered  the  trail  a  little  below 
where  they  had  crossed,  and  saw  that  it  ran  away  from 
the  stream.  They  followed  it  for  three-quarters  of  an 
hour,  and  then  found  it  led  to  a  huge  old  growth  of 
a  yellow-birch  tree,  over  two  feet  in  diameter.  On  the 
rough  bark  they  could  see  the  marks  of  the  animal's 
claws  where  he  had  climbed  the  tree,  and  also/>ccasional 
blood-spots. 

"  He's  our  game  now,"  cried  St.  Clair,  exultingly ; 
"he  is  up  in  this  tree  somewhere.  Who  can  see 
him  ?  " 

This  question  was  not  so  easily  answered,  for  the  tree 
had  a  wide-spreading  top,  with  very  thick  foliage,  and 
although  the  boys  walked  around  it,  and  craned  their 
necks  in  every  direction,  they  could  not  catch  a  glimpse 
of  the  game. 

"  Confound  him  !  "  said  Claude,  "  if  he  won't  show 
himself,  let's  pepper  him.  He's  up  there  somewhere. 
Stand  back  from  the  tree  a  little,  fellows,  and  I'll  see 


The  Chase.  43 

what  a  charge  of  buck-shot  will  do.  The  rest  of  you 
be  ready  to  fire,  if  you  see  him." 

Stepping  back  from  the  birch,  as  Claude  had  directed, 
the  boys  stood  with  their  pieces  elevated,  while  Claude, 
aiming  amid  the  branches  at  the  top  of  the  birch, 
pulled  the  triggers  of  both  barrels. 

The  reports  were  followed  by  a  shower  of  leaves  and 
small  twigs,  and  also  a  growl  from  the  panther,  as  he 
left  the  place  he  had  been  resting  in,  and,  running  out 
on  a  large  horizontal  limb,  leaped  into  a  large  spruce 
growing  near.  The  boys  saw  him  when  he  jumped, 
and  all  but  Claude  gave  him  a  volley.  This  brought 
him  to  the  ground,  a  distance  of  about  seven  yards,  but 
he  was  on  his  feet  a  moment  after  he  had  struck,  and 
charged  on  the  boys,  who  scattered  in  all  directions  ;  but 
it  was  noticed  that  the  brute  still  travelled  on  three  legs. 

The  wounded  animal  now  headed  for  the  stream 
again,  and  before  he  was  out  of  sight  Claude  discharged 
both  barrels  at  him,  and  reloaded  his  gun  as  he  kept  on 
in  pursuit. 

"  He's  a  tough  customer,  that  chap,"  declared  St. 
Clair  ;  "  but  he'll  probably  stop  at  the  brook  a  moment, 
and  we  must  try  and  finish  him  there.  If  we  don't  we 
shall  lose  him." 

"  Yes,"  assented  Phil,  "  if  he  gets  into  the  mountain, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Notch  road,  our  chances  in  him 
are  not  worth  ten  cents,  for  there  are  so  many  large 
holes  there  he  would  be  sure  to  hide  in  some  of  them." 

"Walk  a  little  faster,  then,  boys,"  urged  Claude, 
"  and  let's  catch  him  at  the  stream.  Your  pieces  are 
all  loaded  now,  I  believe." 

Quickening  their  steps,  they  hurried    forward,  and 


44  Wild  Woods  Life. 

reached  the  brook  just  in  time,  as  the  panther  was  about 
leaving  the  stream  on  the  opposite  side. 

"  There  he  is,"  cried  Wingate,  who  saw  him  first; 
"  let  him  have  it ;  "  and,  throwing  his  rifle  quickly  to  his 
shoulder,  he  took  a  hurried  aim,  and  fired,  his  friends 
following  his  example,  and  the  ugly  beast  dropped  dead 
in  his  tracks. 

Crossing  the  brook  the  boys  examined  him,  and 
found  he  was  about  three  feet  long,  thick  through  the 
body,  and  guessed  he  would  weigh  from  a  hundred  to 
a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  On  looking  him  over,  his 
skin  was  found  to  be  completely  riddled  with  shot  and 
bullets,  showing  that  some  of  the  boys  had  fired  with 
better  effect  than  they  had  supposed.  The  animal's 
claws  were  about  two  inches  long,  and  would  have 
made  bad  work  on  either  of  the  party  if  one  of  them  had 
been  in  close  quarters  with  him. 

"  Now  he  is  dead  what  shall  we  do  with  him?"  in- 
quired Adams. 

"That  is  a  pretty  question,"  answered  Le  Roy. 
"  Carry  him  to  the  hotel,  of  course." 

"  But  it's  confounded  hot,"  said  Adams. 

"  What  of  it?  "  remarked  Claude.  "A  little  perspira- 
tion, more  or  less,  will  not  kill  any  of  us,  I  guess  ;  and,  if 
we  take  turns  in  carrying  him,  it  won't  tire  us  much." 

"How  shall  we  carry  him?"  asked  Wingate;  "one 
fellow  take  hold  of  each  of  his  paws?" 

"I  guess  not,"  returned  Claude,  laughing ;  "  you  could 
carry  him  but  a  short  distance  that  way  without  being 
tired." 

"  Tie  him  to  this  pole,"  said  St.  Clair,  who  had  found 


A   Triumphant  Return.  45 

a  maple  stick  lying  on  the  ground  near  them,  about  ten 
feet  long  and  two  inches  in  diameter. 

"  The  very  thing,"  acknowledged  Claude  ;  "  that  was 
just  what  I  was  about  to  propose,"  and,  diving  into  his 
pockets,  he  produced  some  stout  string,  nearly  as  large  as 
cod-line,  and,  tying  the  fore  paws  of  the  animal  together, 
and  then  the  hind  ones,  ran  the  pole  between  them  un- 
til the  panther  was  in  the  middle  of  it.  "  Now,  who  takes 
the  other  end  ?  I  am  good  for  this  one  ; "  and  Claude 
grasped  the  end  of  the  pole  beyond  the  animal's  head. 

"  I'm  with  you,"  remarked  St.  Clair,  and  the  two 
boys  hoisted  the  pole  to  their  shoulders,  their  companions 
carrying  their  guns  for  them. 

The  weight  of  the  panther  caused  the  pole  to  bend 
considerably,  but  the  boys  went  along  quite  comfortably. 
When  they  reached  the  road  Phil  and  Maynard  took  a 
turn  at  carrying  the  game,  and  thus,  with  frequent 
changes,  and  all  taking  their  share  of  the  burden,  they 
reached  the  hotel  about  three  o'clock,  somewhat  hot  and 
tired,  and  as  hungry  as  wolves. 

As  they  approached  the  house  they  fired  several  shots 
in  the  air,  and  this  brought  all  the  people  about  out  on 
the  piazza,  and  the  boys,  marching  up  to  the  hotel,  de- 
posited the  panther  in  front  of  the  door,  where  all  could 
see  it. 

"  What  have  you  shot,  boys?  "  asked  Mr.  Parsons. 

"  Can't  say,  certainly,"  answered  Claude,  "  but  I  judge 
we  have  killed  the  panther  that  has  been  working  such 
havoc  among  the  sheep  in  this  vicinity." 

"You  don't  mean  it?"  returned  the  old  man,  as  he 
stooped  and  examined  the  animal,  while  the  others 
drew  near  and  looked  it  over. 


46  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  Oh,  what  horrid  claws  ! "  cried  one  of  the  ladies  pres- 
ent, as  Mr.  Parsons  untied  its  feet,  and  spread  out  its 
toes  and  nails.  "I  don't  see  how  you  dared  to  shoot  it." 

"  There  were  so  many  of  us  there  was  not  much  dan- 
ger," replied  Wingate. 

"The  State  ought  to  pay  you  a  bounty  for  that," 
observed  Mr.  Parsons,  "  and  you  deserve  it.  There  have 
been  two  or  three  crowds  from  Colebrook  out  after  that 
panther,  and  never  got  a  shot  at  it." 

"  I'll  give  up  my  share  of  the  bounty  in  prospective 
for  a  dinner  at  present,"  said  Adams,  who  began  to 
think  of  his  stomach  again. 

"  I  declare,"  remarked  the  landlord,  "  I  forgot  you 
have  had  no  dinner.  I'll  have  the  girls  get  you  some 
at  once  ; "  and  the  old  gentleman  started  for  the  kitchen 
as  if  he  meant  business,  while  the  young  hunters  went 
up  to  their  rooms  to  wash  and  brush  up. 

When  they  came  down  Claude  found  the  hostler  and 
offered  him  half  a  dollar  to  skin  the  panther,  as  the  boys 
wished  to  carry  home  this  proof  of  their  first  hunt.  That 
good-natured  individual  readily  promised  to  do  it,  and, 
going  to  the  piazza,  shouldered  the  brute,  carried  it  out 
to  the  stable,  and  hung  it  up  in  the  middle  of  the  harness- 
room,  so  that  he  could  more  readily  perform  the  job. 
While  the  young  fellows  were  talking  with  him,  the  bell 
rang  for  their  dinner,  and  they  started  for  the  table 
without  loss  of  time. 

The  maid  with  the  cherry  cheeks  waited  upon  them, 
and  after  she  had  filled  their  orders  Wingate  attracted 
her  attention,  and  began  to  tell  her  about  their  panther- 
hunt,  and,  with  unblushing  effrontery,  claimed  the  honor 
of  having  fired  the  shot  that  killed  the  beast. 


Where  Wingate   Was.  47 

At  this  his  friends  all  laughed,  and  they  told  her  that 
Wingate  had  run  away  the  minute  he  saw  the  brute  ; 
that  his  hair  had  stood  on  end  ;  that  he  was  so  frightened 
he  intended  to  go  home  as  soon  as  he  reached  the  hotel, 
and  various  other  things  that  caused  the  young  lady  to 
look  askance  at  her  admirer,  while  he,  with  a  mouth- 
ful of  hot  plum-pudding,  vainly  protested  that  he  was 
telling  the  truth,  and  that  his  companions  were  libelling 
him. 

With  Wingate's  assertions  and  his  friends'  denials, 
the  fair  waitress  was  evidently  in  doubt  as  to  the  truth 
of  the  story,  and  between  them  they  had  a  jolly  time, 
until  the  young  lady,  finding  they  had  no  intention  of 
leaving  the  table  as  long  as  she  was  present,  excused 
herself  and  retired  to  the  kitchen.  The  boys  waited 
some  time  for  her  return,  but  as  she  did  not  put  in  an 
appearance,  finally  took  the  hint,  and  went  out  on  the 
piazza,  where  they  rested  and  lounged  until  supper  time. 

After  supper  they  took  a  walk  for  about  a  mile 
out  on  the  road  toward  Colebrook,  and  on  their  retrun 
found  some  of  the  guests  in  the  parlor  singing,  and 
the  landlady  invited  them  to  join  with  the  others ; 
which  they-  did,  and  passed  a  very  pleasant  evening. 

When  the  party  broke  up  it  was  about  half-past  nine, 
and  Claude  missing  Wingate  asked  the  other  boys  if 
they  knew  where  he  was.  None  of  them  could  tell, 
and  Claude  told  them  to  follow  him,  and,  going  silently 
out  on  the  piazza,  they  found  him  buzzing  the  cherry- 
cheeked  lass,  who  fled  like  a  deer  on  their  approach. 

"You're  a  nice  young  man  now,  aint  you?"  ex- 
claimed Claude,  shaking  his  ringer  at  him  in  mock 
severity,  while  his  friends  laughed  in  chorus. 


48  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  Oh,  confound  you!"  cried  Wingate  to  his  tor- 
mentors, ' '  can't  a  fellow  have  a  quiet  chat  with  a 
young  lady  without  being  broken  in  on  by  a  party  of 
boobies  ?  " 

"  Boobies,  indeed  !  "  remarked  Adams.  "  What  will 
your  ma  say  ?  We  shall  have  to  appoint  a  committee  of 
one  to  look  after  you,  arid  protect  you  from  the  seduc- 
tive wiles  of  the  girl  who  serves  up  the  hash." 

The  boys  all  laughed,  and  Wingate,  declaring  they 
were  all  like  the  fox  who  cried  "  Sour  grapes,"  be- 
took himself  upstairs,  and  the  others  soon  followed. 
As  they  were  all  very  tired,  they  went  to  bed  at  once, 
and  were  soon  sound  asleep. 

They  did  not  get  up  very  early  the  next  morning, 
and  it  was  nine  o'clock  before  they  were  through  break- 
fast. As  they  expected  the  team  to  come  to  take  them 
back  to  Colebrook  after  dinner,  they  could  not  go  off  for  a 
very  long  tramp.  After  considerable  argument  as  to 
how  they  should  spend  the  time  until  dinner,  Claude, 
St.  Clair,  and  Phil  concluded  to  take  a  walk  over  to 
Nathan's  Pond  ;  Wingate  and  Maynard  announced  their 
intention  of  climbing  Table  Rock  again,  and  of  follow- 
ing the  edge  of  the  mountain  along  to  the  Profile,  and 
inspecting  it  from  above  ;  Le  Roy  and  Adams  said  they 
had  had  tramping  enough  the  day  before,  and  concluded 
to  stop  at  the  house  and  amuse  themselves  reading  or 
chatting  with  some  of  the  other  guests ;  and  then  the 
party  separated,  those  who  left  the  hotel  agreeing  to 
return  as  near  noon  as  possible. 

After  leaving  the  house  Wingate  and  Maynard 
changed  their  plan,  and,  instead  of  climbing  to  Table 
Rock,  continued  along  the  road  until  they  reached  the 


•m^L  -  ' ::  --     . 

i    --r_.'j'v  - 


A   Wily  Fox.  51 

place  where  the  best  view  of  the  Profile  was  to  be  ob- 
tained, and,  after  studying  the  "  Old  Man  "  from  that 
spot,  started  to  climb  the  mountain  from  nearly  under- 
neath the  Profile.  They  found  it  harder  work  than  they 
had  anticipated  ;  but,  by  zigzagging,  more  or  less,  and 
helping  each  other  as  they  worked  their  way  upwards, 
they  finally  reached  the  top  of  the  mountain  without 
accident,  but  not  without  several  narrow  escapes  from 
a  bad  fall,  and  when  they  stood,  at  last,  on  the  jutting 
rock  forming  the  "  Old  Man's  "  head,  they  made  up 
their  minds  that  they  would  not  care  to  take  the  climb 
a  second  time. 

The  result  of  their  labor  also  was  unsatisfactory,  for 
at  the  top  of  the  cliff  it  was  hard  discerning  the  slightest 
likeness  to  the  huge  and  impressive  face  as  seen  from 
the  road.  After  resting  a  few  moments  they  started 
along  the  mountain  towards  Table  Rock,  as  they  could 
make  the  descent  easier  by  the  path.  They  kept  back 
from  the  edge  of  the  mountain  some  way  intending  to 
take  another  look  at  the  Snow  Cave.  They  had  left  the 
Profile  but  a  short  distance  behind  them,  when  they 
caught  sight  of  a  fox  just  beyond  them,  and  each  pick- 
ing up  a  stone  gave  chase.  The  animal  had  heard 
them,  and,  after  taking  one  look  at  them,  started  on  a 
trot  that  enabled  him  to  keep  ahead  of  them  easily. 
But  the  boys,  thinking  they  might  possibly  get  near 
enough  to  Reynard  to  bring  him  down  with  a  rock, 
kept  up  the  pursuit,  stumbling  and  jumping  occasion- 
ally, for  the  ground  they  were  passing  over  was  very 
rough  and  rocky,  and  was  often  crossed  by  gullies. 

It  was  a  hot  day,  and  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun  fell 
squarely  upon  them,  and  the  perspiration  was  soon 


52  Wild  Woods  Life. 

pouring  down  their  bodies  in  streams.  For  fifteen  min- 
utes they  did  their  best,  and  then,  as  fatigue  and  heat 
began  to  tell  upon  them,  their  pace  began  to  slacken, 
and  the  fox,  taking  a  last  look  at  them,  gave  utterance 
to  a  short  bark,  that  sounded  in  the  ears  of  the  excited 
boys  like  a  taunt,  and  disappeared  in  the  woods. 

As  the  fox  vanished,  Maynard,  who  was  several  rods 
ahead,  threw  the  stone  that  he  had  clung  to  all  the 
time  at  him,  and  the  next  moment,  to  Wingate's  sur- 
prise and  alarm,  disappeared  from  view  as  suddenly  as 
if  the  earth  had  opened  and  swallowed  him. 

"  My  gracious !"  exclaimed  Wingate,  as  he  reduced 
his  run  to  a  walk*  and  kept  on  carefully  toward  the  spot 
where  he  had  last  seen  his  companion,  "  what  has 
happened  to  Frank?  Oh,  I  hope  he  is  not  hurt!"  and 
raising  his  voice,  he  shouted  his  friend's  name. 

At  first  he  heard  no  answer.  But  proceeding  a  few 
steps  farther,  and  continuing  his  call,  after  a  while  he 
heard  a  faint  response  that  seemingly  came  from  the 
bowels  of  the  earth,  and  a  few  steps  more  brought  him 
to  a  huge  rent  in  the  mountain,  some  twenty  feet  deep, 
and  at  the  bottom  of  this  he  saw  Maynard. 

"Are  you  hurt,  Frank?"  inquired  Wingate  anxious- 
ly, as  he  peered  over  the  top  of  the  hole. 

"  I  guess  not ;  but  I  got  a  confounded  shaking-up 
when  I  lit  in  here  ;  I  did  not  know  for  a  few  moments 
whether  I  was  alive  or  dead." 

"  This  must  be  the  Snow  Cave  you  are  in?  " 

"Not  much.  This  hole  is  deeper  and  larger  than  the 
Snow  Cave,  and  what  puzzles  me  is  how  I  am  going  to 
get  out.  You  see  the  walls  are  as  smooth  as  glass,  and 
there  is  no  climbing  them." 


Like  a  Rat  in  a  Trap.  53 

"  If  we  only  had  a  rope  now,  or  an  axe,  I  would  soon 
have  you  out.  I  see  there  is  snow  down  there." 

"  It  was  snow  once.  It  is  ice  now,  and  it  is  as  cold 
and  damp  as  a  refrigerator  here.  I  am  afraid  I  shall 
take  cold  if  I  don't  get  out  soon.  I  was  wet  through 
with  perspiration  when  I  came  down  here,  and  I  am 
cooling  off  too  fast." 

"  Take  a  little  exercise,  old  fellow  ;  anything  to  keep 
in  motion,  and  tie  your  handkerchief  around  your  throat, 
and  I  will  see  if  I  can  find  a  pole  or  dead  tree,  or  any- 
thing, that  I  can  put  down  in  there  for  you  to  climb  up 
on." 

"  Be  as  quick  as  you  can,  Charlie.  I  feel  like  a  rat  in 
a  trap  down  here.  Blast  that  fox !  I  hope  he  will  get 
shot  before  he  is  a  week  older." 

Wingate  needed  no  urging,  and,  leaving  the  chasm,  he 
went  to  the  woods  that  grew  near  them,  and,  after 
fifteen  minutes'  search,  succeeded  in  finding  a  dead  fir 
that  had  partly  fallen,  it  being  lodged  in  a  scrub-spruce. 
He  managed,  with  hard  work,  to  get  this  clear ;  but  it 
was  so  heavy  he  could  scarcely  drag  it,  and  it  took  him 
nearly  half  an  hour  to  get  it  to  the  place  where  his  friend 
was  imprisoned,  and  several  minutes  more  to  get  it  down 
into  the  hole. 

As  soon  as  it  touched  bottom,  Maynard  climbed  up  on 
it,  and,  although  the  tree  did  not  reach  to  within  two 
feet  of  the  top,  it  answered  his  purpose,  for  when  he 
reached  the  end  of  it,  Wingate  leaned  over,  and,  grasp- 
ing one  of  his  hands,  helped  him  a  little,  and  he  was 
soon  on  the  outside  of  the  hole.  Taking  a  few  steps,  he 
gave  himself  a  kind  of  shake,  and,  swinging  his  arms, 
assured  himself  that  he  was  all  right. 


54  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  Now,"  said  Wingate,  as  they  went  along,  "  I  would 
advise  you,  in  future,  to  look  ahead  a  little  and  see  where 
you  are  going  to.  This  is  the  second  scrape  of  this  kind 
you  have  been  in  in  three  days,  and,  in  fact"  —  a  smile 
playing  over  his  features —  4<  you  are  the  holiest  fellow 
in  our  crowd." 

Maynard  laughed  at  the  joke,  and  declared  his  inten- 
tion in  future  to  look  before  he  leaped. 

Without  farther  accident  they  reached  Table  Rock, 
and,  descending  by  the  path  to  the  road,  reached  the 
hotel  a  few  moments  before  twelve,  and  found  the  other 
boys  had  not  arrived.  The  team  had  come  from  Cole- 
brook,  and  the  driver  greeted  them  as  they  stepped  on 
the  piazza.  Wingate  asked  him  what  time  he  was  going 
back,  and  he  told  them  he  would  return  any  time  they 
were  ready. 

"  I  think  three  or  four  o'clock  will  be  early  enough  to 
start,"  suggested  Le  Roy;  "it  is  only  a  two-hours' 
drive,  and  it  will  be  cooler  toward  evening  than  it  is 
now." 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  said  Maynard  ;  u  but  here  comes 
Claude  ;  we'll  see  what  he  says." 

The  three  boys  who  had  been  to  the  pond  now  joined 
their  friends,  and  Maynard  told  them  that  they  were 
discussing  the  time  to  leave.  The  new-comers  agreed 
with  Maynard,  and  they  told  the  driver  to  be  ready  with 
the  team  at  four  o'clock.  The  boys  then  went  to  their 
rooms  to  wash,  and  came  down  again  just  as  the  dinner- 
bell  rang. 

As  they  took  their  seats  at  the  table  Wingate  re- 
marked that  he  thought  that  Claude,  St.  Clair,  and 


A  Funny  Deer.  55 

Phil  appeared  unusually  smiling,  and  he  asked  Claude 
what  luck  they  had  had  on  their  trip  to  the  pond. 

At  this  question  St.  Clair  and  Phil  burst  into  a 
shout  of  laughter,  and  were  finally  joined  by 
Claude. 

Their  four  friends  looked  at  them  curiously,  and 
Adams  told  them  they  need  not  keep  all  the  fun  to 
themselves,  but  to  let  the  others  know  what  they  were 
laughing  at. 

"Shall  I,  Claude?"  chuckled  Phil,  with  an  inter- 
rogatory glance  at  his  companion. 

"  Yes  ;  I  don't  mind,  —  go  ahead  ;  "  and  Claude  was 
seized  with  another  spasm  of  laughter. 

"After  we  left  the  hotel,  this  morning,"  began  Phil, 
"we  went  over  to  the  pond.  We  saw  nothing  on  the  way 
worth  shooting  but  a  rabbit  and  a  few  squirrels,  and  we 
would  not  waste  cartridges  on  them.  We  stopped  about 
half  an  hour  at  the  pond,  and  saw  some  deer  tracks,  but 
no  deer.  Not  wishing  to  be  late  to  dinner,  we  started 
back  about  eleven  o'clock,  and  were  within  about  half 
a  mile  of  the  house,  we  judged,  when  Claude,  who  was 
ahead,  saw  an  animal  cross  the  path  some  way  beyond. 
He  claims  he  did  not  have  a  fair  sight  at  it,  for  which 
we  will  give  him  due  credit,"  and  Phil  and  St.  Clair 
laughed  again,  while  their  companions  listened  and 
wondered. 

*'  The  deer  tracks  we  had  seen  at  the  pond  had  prob- 
ably stirred  up  Claude's  hunting  instinct ;  but  however 
that  might  be,  he  yelled,  '  A  deer  !  a  deer  ! '  and  started 
on  the  run,  St.  Clair  and  I  following.  Just  as  we 
caught  up  to  him  he  fired  both  barrels,  and,  stepping 
aside,  cried,  '  He's  in  there  ;  give  it  to  him  ! '  and  pointed 


56  Wild  Woods  Life. 

to  the  left,  where  we  just  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
branches  of  some  trees  moving,  as  if  an  animal  was 
making  its  way  through  them.  Of  course  St.  Clair  and 
I  fired  as  he  directed,  and  then  we  all  rushed  in  to  be  at 
the  death,  and  found  we  had  shot  a  young  calf,"- — here 
a  universal  roar  broke  from  the  other  boys,  —  "and," 
continued  Phil,  struggling  with  his  laughter,  "  it  was  as 
dead  as  Julius  Caesar,  ana  probably  belongs  to  Daddy 
Parsons." 

For  some  moments  after  Phil's  story  nothing  could 
be  heard  but  the  uproarious  laughter  of  the  boys,  and 
the  other  occupants  of  the  dining-room  gazed  at  them 
in  astonishment. 

Finally,  Wingate,  with  the  tears  running  down  his  face 
from  laughter,  asked  Claude  why  he  had  not  brought 
the  head  along  with  him,  and  sent  it  to  Boston  to  be  set 
up  ;  and  Adams  suggested  he  had  better  get  the  skin  and 
have  it  tanned. 

When  they  had  sobered  down  a  little,  Le  Roy  sug- 
gested that  they  would  have  the  calf  to  pay  for. 

"That  is  nothing,"  replied  Claude;  "it  won't  cost 
more  than  five  or  six  dollars." 

Wingate  here  beckoned  to  the  cherry-cheeked  lass 
who  waited  upon  them,  and  who  had  been  watching 
them  with  a  great  deal  of  wonder  depicted  on  her  face, 
and  when  she  reached  his  chair,  he  nodded  toward 
Claude,  and  informed  her  in  a  whisper  that  could  be 
heard  all  over  the  dining-room,  that  Mr.  Emerson  had 
shot  a  deer  that  forenoon.  This  started  the  boys  laugh- 
ing again  ;  but  they  quieted  down  after  a  few  moments, 
and  finished  their  dinners. 

When  they  went  out-doors,   a  gentleman  who  had 


A   Good  yoke.  57 

sat  at  a  table  near  them  asked  Adams  what  they  had 
found  so  funny  at  dinner,  and  Adams  told  him,  and  the 
gentlemen  enjoyed  the  story  hugely. 

When  they  paid  their  bill,  Claude  told  Mr.  Parsons 
about  the  calf,  and  that  gentleman  only  charged  them  a 
fair  price  for  it ;  but  he  laughed  a  great  deal  at  hearing 
the  story. 

At  four  o'clock  they  left  the  house,  and  the  four  horses, 
having  been  well  rested  and  fed,  started  on  a  sharp 
trot  for  Colebrook.  The  driver  had  heard  the  deer 
story,  and  although  the  boys  had  the  panther-skin  with 
them,  and  he  had  acknowledged  that  they  had  done  a 
big  thing  in  shooting  the  panther,  still  he  seemed  to  take 
more  pleasure  in  alluding  to  the  deer-hunt  than  he  did 
to  the  panther-chase,  which  I  suppose  was  only  natural. 

About  half  way  to  Colebrook  they  came  up  with  a 
countryman  driving  a  skinny-looking  horse  in  an 
old  wagon  that  looked  as  if  it  might  collapse  at  any 
moment. 

The  old  trap  threw  up  a  cloud  of  dust,  that  came 
back  in  the  boys'  faces  and  made  it  very  disagreeable 
for  them. 

"Can't  you  pass  that  wagon?"  said  Claude  to  the 
driver.  "  We  don't  want  to  swallow  that  fellow's  dust 
all  the  way  to  Colebrook." 

"  I'll  leave  him  behind  in  a  moment,"  and  the  driver 
reined  his  horses  to  the  right  of  the  road. 

But  just  as  he  did  this  the  old  man  looked  back,  and, 
seeing  that  it  was  Dick's  intention  to  pass  him,  called 
back,  "  Ye  can't  go  by  me,  Dick  Williams,  till  ye  gin 
yer  hosses  a  little  more  oats,"  whipped  up  his  old  plug 
and  rattled  ahead. 


58         .  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  It's  old  Smith,"  said  Dick,  who  had  recognized 
him,  "  and  he's  the  ugliest  old  cuss  yer  ever  saw.  He's 
goin'  clear  to  Colebrook,  and  he  won't  let  us  pass  him 
if  he  can  help  it." 

"  Whip  up,  and  try  it,"  said  St.  Clair. 

Dick  did  as  ordered,  and,  touching  up  his  horses, 
began  to  gain  on  the  team  ahead.  But  the  old  man 
was  not  asleep,  and,  seeing  that  they  were  gaining  on 
him,  he  plied  his  stick  with  renewed  vigor,  and  the 
horse  broke  into  a  gallop,  and  again  widened  the  gap. 

The  boys  now  began  to  get  excited,  and  Phil  told 
Dick  that  if  he'd  pass  the  old  buffer  he  would  give  him 
five  dollars. 

That  was  a  big  offer  in  the  driver's  eyes,  and,  touch- 
ing up  his  leaders,  and  laying  the  whip  over  the  pole 
horses  again,  they  started  on  a  gallop,  and  began  to 
gain  rapidly  on  the  old  man. 

"  The  old  beggar  '11  stick  ter  the  middle  o'  the  road, 
darn  him  ! "  said  Dick,  as  they  neared  the  wagon,  "and 
it'll  be  hard  gettin'  by  him." 

"  Run  him  down,  then,"  said  Claude.  "  I'll  pay  the 
bills.  If  he's  going  to  act  like  a  hog,  we'll  take  some 
of  the  bristles  off  of  him.  The  first  show  you  have  of 
getting  by  him  pass  him  if  you  take  off*  his  wheels. 
We'll  see  whether  he  is  entitled  to  the  whole  of  the  road 
or  not." 

"  That's  the  talk,"  assented  Phil.  "We'll  beat  him 
or  wreck  him." 

The  race  was  now  an  exciting  one.  The  old  man 
stood  up  in  his  wagon,  and  lathered  the  old  horse  as  if 
his  life  depended  on  it,  and  Dick  cracked  his  whip  and 
yelled  at  his  leaders  to  encourage  them.  The  few 


A   Collision.  59 

teams  they  passed  drew  off  to  the  side  of  the  road, 
to  keep  out  of  the  way,  and  watched  the  race  with  in- 
terest. 

Dick's  leaders  put  their  noses  over  the  rear  of  the  old 
man's  wagon  just  as  the  two  teams  reached  the  top  of 
a  short  hill  that  descended  at  an  easy  grade,  and  the 
boys  shouted  with  triumph. 

"  Turn  out,  now,"  cried  St.  Clair,  "  and  go  by 
him." 

Dick  followed  instructions. 

Sheering  his  horses  a  little  to  the  right,  and  laying 
the  whip  over  them,  they  shot  by  the  old  man's  team, 
taking  off  both  his  wheels,  and  nearly  capsizing  them- 
selves ;  for,  as  the  old  fellow  had  stuck  to  the  middle 
of  the  road,  Dick  had  been  compelled  to  turn  out  more 
than  he  intended,  and  the  wheels  on  the  right  side  of 
the  coach  had  gone  into  the  ditch.  For  a  moment  the 
wagon  was  balanced  on  two  wheels,  but  the  boys 
jumped  up  to  the  left  side,  and  Dick  made  a  sharp  turn 
to  the  left,  and  the  carriage  gradually  returned  to  an 
upright  position. 

Dick  stopped  his  horses  as  soon  as  he  could,  and  the 
boys  looked  back.  The  old  man  was  just  scrambling 
to  his  feet,  and  was  shaking  his  fist  at  them,  while  the 
horse,  that  been  thrown  down,  had  rolled  over  on 
one  of  the  shafts,  and,  after  breaking  it,  had  cleared 
himself  from  the  wreck,  and  was  just  getting  up,  and 
after  gaining  his  feet,  walked  about  in  a  manner  that 
showed  he  was  all  right.  The  wagon  was  scattered 
about  the  road,  and  appeared  to  be  pretty  well  used 
up. 

"  Drive  on,"  said  Claude,  who  had  made  up  his  mind 


60  Wild  Woods  Life. 

that  neither  the  old  man  nor  his  horse  had  been  hurt 
except  in  their  feelings;  "that  will  learn  him  to  be 
a  little  more  accommodating  another  time.  It  won't 
cost  much  to  repair  the  damage,  and  that  we  are 
willing  to  do." 

"  He'll  probably  have  us  arrested,"  suggested  Win- 
gate. 

"  No  fear  o'  that,"  said  the  driver,  "  if  yer  willing  to 
pay  him  anything  near  what  it'll  cost  him  to  fix  up  his 
old  wagon  ;  he  won't  trouble  ye  otherways  ;  he  knows 
darned  well  he'd  no  business  to  block  up  the  road.  Yer 
see  we've  got  him  there." 

"  I'm  willing  to  pay  whatever  is  right,  and  no  more," 
returned  Claude.  "  I  don't  propose  to  have  him  swindle 
us  because  he  acted  like  a  hog  and  had  his  wagon  stove. 
It  served  him  right,  and  I  hope  it  will  be  a  good  lesson 
to  him." 

Without  further  adventure  the  boys  reached  the 
hotel,  and  Phil  handed  Dick  a  five-dollar  bill,  which 
made  the  driver  feel  very  happy,  and  he  told 
them  he  should  like  to  drive  for  them  wherever  they 
went. 

The  boys  then  went  to  their  rooms,  washed  up,  and 
walked  in  to  supper. 

.  After  satisfying  their  hunger  they  went  out  on  the 
piazza  and  sat  there  talking  about  the  "collision,"  as 
they  called  the  smash-up,  and  told  the  landlord,  who 
was  present,  all  about  it.  He  laughed  heartily  at 
Claude's  humorous  account  of  the  affair,  and  just  as  he 
had  finished  narrating  the  story  the  old  man  came 
along.  He  had  mended  the  broken  shaft  by  means  of 
a  stick  and  a  piece  of  marline,  and  had  a  pole  lashed 


Settling  Damages.  61 

under  the  two  axles  on  the  side  the  wheels  were  off. 
He  was  walking,  and  leading  the  horse,  and  he  stopped 
just  in  front  of  the  piazza. 

"What's  the  matter,  Smith?"  said  the  landlord; 
"  you  look  as  if  you  had  met  with  an  accident." 

"  No  accident  about  it,"  returned  the  old  man,  snap- 
pishly ;  "  that  good-for-nothing  Dick  Gammon  run  inter 
me,  and  tried  ter  kill  me,  and  you've  got  ter  pay  for  it. 
Jest  look  at  my  team." 

"  It  does  look  as  if  it  needed  repairing,"  acknowledged 
the  landlord,  with  a  smile,  while  the  boys  laughed  and 
winked  at  each  other. 

"  Repairin'  !  I  should  say  it  did.  It'll  cost  a  hun- 
dred dollars  to  make  it  as  good  as  it  was  before." 

At  this  the  boys  roared,  and  the  landlord  laughed 
also.  ' 

"  A  hundred  fiddlesticks,"  replied  Claude,  contempt- 
uously. "  That  is  more  than  your  whole  team,  horse 
and  all,  are  worth." 

"  And  himself  besides,"  added  Wingate,  in  a  low 
tone. 

"  Let's  see  what  the  damage  is,"  said  the  landlord, 
as  he  walked  down  and  examined  the  wagon,  and 
continued  :  "  Dick  brings  a  charge  against  you  also. 
He  says  you  kept  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  and  would 
not  let  him  pass  you.  That  isn't  fair  driving,  Mr. 
Smith." 

"  He  lies,  then  !  "  cried  the  old  man,  excitedly.  "  I 
got  way  out  o'  the  road  two  or  three  times  to  let  him  go 
by,  and  he  run  inter  me  purposely." 

At  this  deliberate  falsification  of  the  facts  the  boys 
shouted  again  with  laughter,  and  the  old  man  asked  the 


62  Wild  Woods  Life. 

landlord  "  what  them  chessy  cats  up  there  were  grinnin' 
at." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  have  forgotten  the  facts  in  regard 
to  the  accident,"  returned  the  landlord  ;  "  but,  anyway, 
fifteen  dollars  will  make  your  wagon  better  than  it  was 
before." 

"Fifteen  dollars,  indeed!  Twenty-five  won't  pay 
the  bill.  What  do  yer  take  me  fur?" 

"  A  beat,"  said  Phil,  a  little  under  tone. 

"  A  mad  granger,"  added  Claude,  with  a  laugh. 

"  You  can't  talk  any  twenty-five  dollars  to  me,"  said 
the  landlord,  as  he  returned  to  the  piazza  ;  "  I've  had  too 
many  teams  repaired  myself." 

"  Then  I'll  take  the  law  on  ye  !  "  threatened  the  old 
man. 

"  Go  ahead,  if  you  want  to,"  replied  the  landlord  ; 
"  but  you  know,  Smith,  that  law  is  expensive  business." 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do,  Bailey,"  returned 
the  old  man,  after  he  had  pondered  over  the  subject 
a  few  moments.  "  Me  and  you  never  had  any  trouble, 
and  I'll  split  the  difference,  and  call  it  twenty 
dollars." 

The  landlord  was  about  to  refuse  this  offer,  but 
Claude  nodded  to  him  to  accept  it,  and,  taking  two  ten- 
dollar  bills  from  his  pocket,  handed  them  to  the  land- 
lord, who  passed  them  over  to  the  granger,  who  took 
them  with  a  chuckle  of  satisfaction,  studied  them 
attentively  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  buried  them  in 
the  depths  of  a  greasy,  dirty  black  leather  pocket-book. 
Then,  giving  a  general  nod  to  the  landlord  and  the  boys, 
he  led  his  team  off  toward  a  carriage-shop  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  hotel. 


A   Quiet  Sabbath.  63 

"  That  is  more  money  than  the  old  rascal  will  earn  in 
the  next  month,"  observed  the  landlord,  as  he  went  in 
to  supper. 

"  How  the  old  sinner  did  lie  !  "  remarked  Maynard,  as 
the  boys  arose  and  went  on  a  stroll  about  the  village. 

The  most  of  Saturday  was  spent  in  purchasing  the 
necessary  stores  for  their  trip,  and  in  getting  them  to- 
gether and  having  them  packed.  As  one  team  would 
not  carry  them  and  their  boats,  they  had  Mr.  Bailey 
send  the  boats  up  in  the  morning  on  an  extra  team, 
and  charged  the  driver  to  see  that  they  were  carefully 
handled,  when  he  left  them,  and  put  in  a  safe  place. 

They  completed  all  their  preparations  about  three 
o'clock,  and  then  went  off  fishing,  and  returned  about 
seven  with  good  appetites  but  a  poor  string  of  fish, 
they  having  caught  but  half-a-dozen  small  trout. 

They  spent  the  Sabbath  quietly,  going  to  church  in 
the  forenoon,  and  to  Sunday  school  in  the  afternoon. 
In  the  evening  they  took  a  walk  down  to  the  river,  and 
whiled  away  an  hour  or  two  on  the  bank,  where  they 
sat  and  talked  over  their  future  plans. 

When  they  returned  to  the  hotel  they  went  up  to  the 
parlor  and  sang  awhile,  and,  being  joined  by  some  of 
the  other  guests  who  were  fond  of  music,  the  evening 
slipped  rapidly  away. 

As  they  all  had  liked  Dick  for  a  driver,  Claude  spoke 
to  Mr.  Bailey  about  his  going  with  them  ;  and  the  land- 
lord agreed  to  let  him  drive  them  up  to  the  lake,  and 
told  Claude  that  he  would  have  the  team  at  the  door 
by  half-past  seven,  so  they  could  start  at  eight. 

Phil  suggested  that  the  driver  had  better  go  to  the 
stores  in  the  morning  with  the  team  and  pick  up  the 


64 


Wild  Woods  Life. 


things  they  had  bought  the  day  before ;  and  the  land- 
lord said  he  would  have  him  do  it  before  he  called  for 
the  boys. 

As  everything  was  now  arranged  for  their  departure 
on  the  morrow,  Claude  suggested  they  had  better  retire, 
so  as  to  be  up  early  in  the  morning,  and,  calling  to  Phil, 
who  roomed  with  him,  they  went  to  bed ;  and  their 
friends,  not  caring  to  sit  up  any  longer,  also  sought 
their  rooms. 


Good-by  to  Colebrook.  65 


CHAPTER    III. 

Good-by  to  Colebrook.  —  Through  a  Bridge.  —  The  Wheelman.  — 
Connecticut  Lake. — The  Ride  to  Second  Lake. — Shooting 
Partridges.  —  A  Glance  at  a  Moose.  —  Arrival  at  Second  Lake. 
—  Tom  Chester's  Camp. — The  Deer  Story.  —  Trout  Fishing. — 
Crossing  the  Carry.  —  Arrival  at  Parmachenee. 

AFTER  breakfast  Monday  morning  they  settled  their 
bill,  bade  Mr.  Bailey  good-by,  and  took  their  seats  in 
the  team,  where  Dick  sat  holding  the  reins  all  ready  for 
a  start.  Quite  a  little  crowd  had  gathered  to  see  them 
off,  and  the  landlord,  and  also  the  loafers,  wished  them 
good-luck,  as  Dick  cracked  his  whip  and  started  his 
horses  into  a  trot. 

It  was  a  lovely  morning,  and  the  boys  talked  and  joked 
with  the  driver  as  the  team  bowled  along,  and  enjoyed 
themselves  hugely.  The  road  lay  along  the  east  side  of 
the  river,  and  the  scenery  was  very  pretty. 

' '  How  far  shall  we  get  to-night,  Claude  ?  "  inquired 
Le  Roy,  breaking  in  on  the  silence. 

"  To  the  hotel  at  Connecticut  Lake.  It  is  twenty-five 
miles  there,  and  that  is  far  enough  to  travel  in  one  day." 

"And  yer  won't  find  any  such  road  as  this  above 
there,"  put  in  the  driver.  "It's  rough  going  between 
the  First  and  Second  Lakes.  I've  logged  up  there,  and 
know  something  about  it.  You'll  have  to  take  a  buck- 
board  to  get  to  Second  Lake,  and  I  don't  know  how  ye'll 
get  yer  boats  there  ;  have  to  hire  some  men  to  lug  'em,  I 
guess." 


66  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  We  had  them  hauled  from  Andover  to  the  South 
Arm  of  the  Richardson  Lakes  two  years  ago,  over  a 
very  rough  road,  and  they  were  not  hurt  a  bit.  I  guess 
we  can  manage  it  some  way." 

"  Well,  perhaps  yer  can.  But  you'll  have  ter  watch 
'em  sharp  or  they'll  get  chafed.  They're  mighty  purty 
boats,  too.  Where  were  they  made?" 

"  They  were  built  in  South  Boston,"  answered  Win- 
gate. 

"Were  they?  Wall,  I  wouldn't  mind  owning  one 
like  'em  myself." 

"  Here  comes  a  two-horse  team,"  said  Wingate,  "  and 
I  don't  see  how  we  shall  pass  it ;  the  road  is  very  narrow 
here." 

"  That's  the  stage  from  Stewartstown.  He'll  wait 
there  until  we  get  up  with  him ;  the  road's  wider  there. 
He's  hauled  up  now.  Come  !  gee  up,  a  lang  there  ! " 
and  Dick  snapped  the  end  of  the  whip  about  the  leaders' 
ears  in  a  way  that  accelerated  their  movements. 

"  It's  going  to  be  a  hot  day,"  remarked  Claude,  as  the 
sun  struck  in  on  them. 

"Yes,  sir,  it  is,"  replied  the  driver.  "Those  horses 
have  begun  to  sweat  now,  and  I  aint  worked  them  at 
all.  What  do  yer  say,  boys,"  and  Dick  glanced  around 
with  a  smile,  "  had  I  better  take  his  wheels  off?  " 

"  I  guess  not,"  returned  Claude,  laughing  ;  "  he  seems 
disposed  to  give  us  half  the  road." 

As  the  teams  passed  each  other  the  stage-driver  and 
his  two  passengers,  who  were  young  women,  gazed  at 
the  boys  as  if  they  had  just  come  out  of  a  curiosity-shop. 

"  Mornin',  Bill,"  said  Dick.     "  How  are  ye?  " 

"  Fust-rate,"  returned  the  stage-driver. 


Country  Curiosity.  67 

"  Where  ye  bound?" 

"  Conne't'cut  Lake." 

"  Comin'  back  to-night?" 

"  Dunno.     Guess  so." 

"  Why  do  all  your  country  folks  stare  at  people  so?" 
inquired  St.  Clair,  as  they  left  the  stage  behind. 

"  Guess  they  want  ter  know  ye  ag'in  when  they  see 
ye,"  answered  the  driver,  with  a  laugh. 

"It's  nothing  but  insatiable  curiosity,"  observed 
Claude.  "  And  if  it  was  only  the  staring  you  might 
put  up  with  it ;  but  they  are  so  confounded  impertinent ! 
They  want  to  know  everything  about  you  :  who  you 
are  ;  where  you  come  from  ;  where  you  are  going ; 
what  you  are  going  for.  And  they  ask  you  the  sauciest 
questions  imaginable  without  the  slightest  idea  of  their 
impertinence." 

"Yes,"  added  Phil,  with  a  laugh,  "  and  the  moment 
one  of  them  finds  out  anything  he  runs  to  somebody 
else  with  it,  and  that  person  in  turn  tells  it  to  the  first 
person  he  meets,  and  in  a  few  hours  it  is  all  over 
town." 

"Well,"  said  Dick,  who  thought  the  boys  expected 
him  to  say  something,  "  yer  see  there  aint  much  going 
on  down  here  in  the  country,  and  we  think  more  of 
little  things  than  yer  do  in  the  city,  and  what  'ud 
interest  us  you'd  look  on  as  small  pertatoes  and  few 
in  a  hill." 

"Well  answered,"  returned  Maynard,  "and,  if  you 
always  come  as  near  to  the  truth  as  you  have  now, 
you'll  not  be  hung  for  lying ;"  and  the  boys  and  driver 
laughed  in  concert. 

About  ten  o'clock  they  reached  the  village  of  West 


68  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Stewartstown,  and  the  driver  pulled  up  near  the  hotel 
and  watered  his  horses,  while  the  boys  took  advantage 
of  the  short  stop  to  visit  a  store  in  the  neighborhood, 
where  they  succeeded  in  buying  some  very  small  and 
very  sour  apples.  As  soon  as  they  had  taken  their 
places  in  the  wagon  again,  Dick  started  his  team,  and 
they  crossed  the  river  by  a  bridge  into  Canaan. 

"Now  yer  in  Canaan,  Vermont,"  said  the  driver,  as 
they  rode  through  the  village. 

"  So  this  is  the  '  happy  land  of  Canaan,'  that  they 
sing  about,  is  it?"  asked  Claude,  as  he  offered  the 
driver  some  apples. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that ;  but  some  of  the  men  who 
live  here  are  pretty  happy,  and  they  get  happy  alto- 
gether too  often  to  suit  my  idees." 

"  In  other  words,  they  get  drunk,"  suggested 
Adams. 

"  You've  spelled  it,"  said  Dick. 

"Where  shall  we  get  our  dinner?"  inquired  St. 
Clair. 

"About  five  miles  farther  on  there's  a  house  where 
yer  can  get  some  ;  or  yer  can  wait  until  we  get  to  ther 
lake." 

"  How  long  will  that  be?  "  asked  Le  Roy. 

"  About  three  o'clock,"  returned  Dick. 

"  Three  o'clock  !"  yelled  Adams.  "  I  protest !  Let's 
get  something  to  eat  before  that  time,  if  we  have  to 
stop  at  a  farm-house." 

"  We  might  get  a  bowl  of  bread-and-milk  at  the 
house  the  driver  speaks  of,"  suggested  Claude,  "and  that 
will  stay  our  stomachs  until  we  reach  the  house  at  the 
lake." 


Lunch  at  a  Farm-house.  69 

"  If  that  is  the  way  you  are  going  to  do  it,"  said 
Adams,  "  I'll  call  for  a  six-quart  pan  of  milk  and  a 
loaf  of  bread  for  myself,"  at  which  his  friends  all 
laughed. 

The  river  was  now  on  their  right,  and  furnished 
them  many  pretty  views  as  they  followed  its  banks 
northward.  For  a  few  moments  it  appeared  a  long 
dead  reach  like  some  pond,  and  then  would  be  broken 
into  noisy  rapids,  and  occasional  falls.  Crooked,  like 
all  New  England  streams,  it  turned  and  twisted  appar- 
ently to  every  point  of  the  compass.  In  the  five  miles 
to  the  house  where  they  were  to  get  lunch  they  only 
met  one  team,  and  nothing  unusual  occurred. 

The  driver  pulled  up  at  the  farm-house,  and  the  boys 
stepped  down  from  the  coach.  Claude  knocked  on  the 
door,  and  interviewed  the  farmer's  wife,  who,  after 
listening  to  his  request,  agreed  to  furnish  them  with 
some  bread  and  milk,  which  she  promised  to  have  on 
the  table  in  ten  minutes.  While  she  busied  herself 
getting  their  lunch,  the  boys  walked  about  out  of  doors 
and  "  stretched  their  legs  a  little,"  as  the  driver  put  it. 
From  the  field  back  of  the  house  came  the  smell  of 
new-mown  hay,  and  the  party  could  see  the  farmer  and 
his  men  hard  at  work,  some  mowing,  and  others 
spreading.  It  was  a  busy  season  of  the  year,  along 
their  route,  for,  wherever  there  was  any  hay  to  cut,  a 
crew  were  at  it  with  a  will.  The  driver  said  it  had 
been  very  poor  hay  weather  through  July,  and,  now  that 
the  right  kind  of  weather  had  come,  those  who  had  hay 
to  harvest  were  making  the  most  of  it. 

The  old  lady  now  appeared  at  the  door  and  beckoned 
them  to  come  in,  and,  followed  by  the  driver,  whom 


70  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Claude  had  invited  to  take  a  bite  with  them,  they  took 
seats  about  the  old-fashioned  round  table  and  were  soon 
discussing  the  relative  merits  of  bread  and  milk,  while 
with  table-spoons  they  gave  force  to  their  arguments. 

In  eating  and  talking  a  half-hour  glided  swiftly 
away,  and,  at  the  end  of  that  time,  the  boys  arose  from 
the  table,  and  Claude  settled  the  bill,  a  very  moderate 
one.  The  driver  had  not  taken  his  horses  from  the 
team,  and  a  few  moments  saw  them  in  their  seats  on  the 
coach  again,  and  once  more  progressing  northward. 

The  day  was  perfect ;  hot  and  pleasant,  with  just 
enough  of  a  west  wind  blowing  to  temper  the  sun's 
rays,  and  keep  them  from  feeling  laggy.  Within  three 
miles  of  the  lake  hotel  the  road  crossed  a  small  stream 
by  means  of  a  wooden  bridge.  As  they  approached  it 
the  driver  told  them  it  was  getting  old,  and  was  consid- 
ered by  some  to  be  unsafe.  While  speaking  of  it  the 
team  rolled  heavily  on  it,  and  the  horses  had  just 
stepped  off  of  the  farther  side  when  the  whole  structure 
collapsed,  and  down  into  the  bed  of  the  stream  went 
the  wagon,  minus  the  forward  wheels,  which  the  horses 
had  taken  with  them.  The  driver,  clinging  to  the  reins, 
had  been  dragged  out  of  the  team  by  his  horses,  which, 
although  somewhat  frightened  at  the  crash,  he  had  suc- 
ceeded in  stopping,  and,  tying  them  to  a  tree,  he  went 
back  to  see  how  his  passengers  fared. 

They  had  been  pretty  well  mixed  up  for  a  few  min- 
utes, but  were  now  crawling  off  from  each  other,  and 
alighting  in  the  brook,  the  water  being  only  two  or 
three  inches  deep,  with  stones  plentifully  sprinkled 
about,  many  of  them  being  several  inches  above  the 
water,  and  offering  dry  footing,  of  which  the  boys 


Through  a  Bridge.  71 

availed  themselves.  They  clambered  up  the  banks  of 
the  stream,  which  were  about  six  feet  high  where  the 
accident  occurred,  and  found  that,  beyond  a  few 
scratches  and  bruises  and  a  sudden  fright,  they  had 
sustained  no  injury. 

"Are  you  hurt  any,  boys?"  asked  the  driver  anxious- 
ly, as  he  looked  from  one  to  the  other. 

"  Oh  no  !  we  are  all  right,"  replied  Claude,  "  but 
how  about  the  wagon?  I  see  the  rack  is  broken,  and 
the  boxes  and  other  things  that  were  on  it,  are  in  the 
brook." 

"  Yes,  and  they  ought  to  be  taken  out  at  once,"  broke 
in  St.  Clair,  "  some  of  the  things  will  be  spoiled  if  they 
get  wet." 

"I'll  take  care  of  'em,"  and  Dick  scrambled  down 
to  the  stream,  and,  picking  up  the  articles  that  had  been 
on  the  rack,  passed  them  up  to  the  boys,  who  deposited 
them  beside  the  road. 

After  doing  this,  the  driver  examined  the  wagon  care- 
fully, and  found  that  the  axle,  wheels,  and  springs  were 
all  right,  and  the  damage  was  very  slight. 

"  If  I  only  had  a  man  or  two  with  me  now,"  he  re- 
marked, as  he  finished  his  survey,  "  I  could  get  this 
wagon  out  of  the  brook." 

"  Here  are  seven  good  men  and  true,"  replied 
Claude,  smiling ;  "we  will  give  you  all  the  assistance 
you  desire." 

"Good  boy!"  said  Maynard,  patting  Claude  on  the 
shoulder,  "  you  have  expressed  the  spirit  of  the  party 
exactly." 

"  Wall,  I  didn't  know  as  yer'd  want  to  take  hold," 
answered  the  driver,  "but  if  yer  do,  we'll  snake  the 


72  Wild  Woods  Life. 


wagon  out'n  that  brook  quioker'n  chain  lightning  ever 
went  through  a  gooseberry  bush." 

"  Now  you  are  talking,"  put  in  Wingate ;  "tell  us 
what  to  do  first." 

"  Wait  a  minute,  till  I  unhitch  the  horses  from  the 
forward  wheels,"  and  Dick  scrambled  up  to  the  road 
and  went  to  work. 

After  he  had  cleared  the  horses  he  took  hold  of  the 
pole,  and  drew  the  forward  wheels  along  the  road  a 
short  distance,  until  he  reached  a  place  where  the  land 
sloped  gently  away  from  the  road,  and  turning  oft'  he 
went  into  the  field,  and  drew  the  wheels  to  the  brook, 
striking  it  a  short  distance  from  the  road  where  the 
banks  were  very  low.  He  run  the  wheels  into  the  bed 
of  the  brook,  and  backed  them  up  near  the  wagon,  and 
then  called  to  the  boys  to  come  and  help  him. 

"  What  will  you  have  ? "  asked  Claude,  as  they  reached 
the  brook. 

"  See  if  there's  beef  enough  in  yer  to  lift  up  the  front 
end  of  the  wagon  so  I  can  shove  the  forward  wheels 
under." 

The  boys  hauled  off  their  shoes  and  stockings,  rolled 
up  their  pants,  and,  all  taking  hold  with  a  will,  lifted  the 
wagon  and  held  it  until  the  wheels  were  pushed  under 
and  the  bolt  dropped  into  the  axle. 

"Good  enough!"  exclaimed  Dick,  with  a  satisfied 
air.  "  Now  if  yer'll  clear  away  that  rubbish,"  alluding 
to  the  remains  of  the  bridge,  "  and  throw  it  t'other  side 
of  the  wagon,  I'll  go  and  get  the  bosses  and  hitch  on." 

"  All  right,"  replied  Adams.  "  Hurry  up  for  we  are 
getting  hungry." 

The  boys  had  soon  removed  the  debris  around  the 


The   Wheelman.  73 


wagon,  and  in  less  than  ten  minutes  Dick  had  his  horses 
in  their  places,  and  was  in  his  seat.  Starting  his  team 
carefully,  he  drove  down  the  bed  of  the  stream  a  few 
rods,  and  then,  turning  to  the  left,  gained  dry  ground, 
and,  shortly  after,  the  road.  When  he  reached  the  spot 
where  the  things  had  been  deposited  after  the  accident 
he  was  obliged  to  turn  completely  around.  But  the 
road  was  quite  wide  in  that  place,  and  he  made  the  turn 
without  any  trouble. 

It  took  some  fifteen  minutes  to  load,  and  then  they 
were  once  more  under  way. 

"  Do  we  cross  any  more  bridges?"  queried  Le  Roy, 
as  Dick  laid  the  whip  over  his  leaders  to  make  up  for 
lost  time. 

"No,  only  over  ditches,  or  something  of  that  kind. 
There's  no  more  bridges  of  any  size." 

"  Then  I  hope  you'll  succeed  in  getting  us  there 
without  breaking  our  necks,"  said  Phil.  "It's  almost  a 
miracle  that  we  went  through  that  bridge  without 
getting  injured." 

"  Wall  now,  if  there  aint  a  durned  fool !  "  exclaimed 
the  driver,  gazing  earnestly  ahead,  without  paying  the 
slightest  attention  to  Phil's  remark. 

"  Where?  Oh,  I  see  !"  and  Claude,  who  had  asked 
the  question,  laughed. 

"What's  the  critter  on  anyway  ?  "  inquired  Dick,  with 
open-mouthed  wonder. 

"  Why,  a  velocipede,"  said  St.  Clair.     "  Didn't  you, 
ever  see  one?" 

"  No,  sir  !     What  are  they  fur?  " 

"  To  ride,"  answered  Maynard.  "Don't  you  see  how 
that  fellow  comes  along?  " 


74  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"Yes;  and,  consarn  him,  he'll  be  frightening  my 
bosses.  I  should  like  to  know  how  he  got  way  up  in 
here  with  that  thing.  I  didn't  see  him  go  up." 

"  He's  dismounting,"  cried  Phil.  "He  is  going  to 
take  a  rest  until  we  go  by." 

In  a  few  moments  the  wagon  had  reached  the  wheel- 
man, who  lifted  his  cap  and  bowed,  as  the  horses  were 
pulled  up. 

The  boys  saluted  him,  and  Claude  asked  him  where 
he  had  come  from. 

"  Boston  was  my  starting-point.  Rode  from  there  to 
Rangeley,  then  took  the  steamer  across  the  lakes  to  the 
Magalloway  river.  Then  went  up  to  Parmachenee  in 
a  boat,  crossed  to  Connecticut  Lake,  and  reached  there 
Saturday  evening,  stopping  at  the  hotel  until  after  dinner 
to-day.  Am  going  as  far  as  Colebrook  to-night,  and 
down  to  North  Stratford  in  the  morning,  then  to  the 
White  Mountains  by  the  way  of  Lancaster." 

"  On  that  durned  thing?"  broke  in  the  driver,  con- 
temptuously. 

"Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  wheelman.  "  I  can  make  as 
many  miles  a  day  with  my  steed  as  you  can  with  yours." 

"  In  a  horn  yer  can,"  laughed  Dick. 

"  We  are  from  Boston,"  said  Claude.  "  Do  you  live 
there?" 

"  No.     I  live  in  Hartford." 

"  I  suppose  we  ought  to  know  each  other,"  and 
,Claude,  after  mentioning  his  own  name,  introduced  the 
other  members  of  his  party. 

"  My  name  is  John  Hawthorne,  but  my  friends  call 
me  Jack.  You  are  bound  on  a  camping-out  racket,  I 
take  it?" 


-:-^,-;::';'''/nr,,:_(!^'i'^' 

ON     A     BlJCKBOAKI). 


Arrival  at  Connecticut  Lake.  77 

"  Yes,"  replied  Claude  ;  "  we  are  going  to  Connecti- 
cut Lake,  and  from  there  across  to  Parmachenee,  and 
spend  a  few  weeks  in  that  vicinity." 

"It's  a  pretty  country  over  there,"  returned  Haw- 
thorne. "I  wish  I  could  be  with  you.  But  I  must 
move,  for  I  wish  to  reach  Colebrook  before  dark. 
Good-by,  and  good  luck  to  you  ! " 

"  The  same  to  you,"  answered  Claude. 

"  We  tumbled  through  a  bridge,  a  few  miles  back," 
cried  Maynard,  as  the  wheelman  started  off;  "  look  out 
you  don't  fall  into  it." 

"Thank  you;  I'll  keep  my  weather-eye  open," 
shouted  back  Hawthorne,  as  he  rapidly  widened  the 
distance  between  them. 

"  Go,  ahead,  Dick  !"  now  sang  out  Adams,  urgently  ; 
"  that  dinner  will  be  supper  by  the  time  we  reach  it." 

The  driver  "  gerlanged "  to  his  horses,  and  once 
more  they  were  bowling  along  the  road.  The  boys 
laughed  and  joked  about  their  delays,  and  wondered 
what  would  turn  up  next. 

To  the  great  satisfaction  of  Adams,  however,  nothing 
further  hindered  their  onward  progress,  and  at  half- 
past  four  they  reached  the  hotel,  and  were  out  of  the 
wagon  as  soon  as  it  had  stopped. 

The  landlord  met  them  at  the  door,  and  "  the 
hungry  man"  went  for  him  on  the  dinner-question 
before  he  had  time  to  open  his  mouth. 

"  Don't  be  in  such  a  hurry,"  said  Claude  ;  "  let's  see 
if  we  can  get  rooms." 

And  the  leader  of  the  expedition  turned  to  the  Boni- 
face and  asked  him  if  he  had  rooms  for  them  all.  Re- 


78  Wild  Woods  Life. 

ceiving  a  satisfactory  answer  on  that  point,  Claude  then 
spoke  to  him  about  the  dinner. 

"Dinner!  Oh,  yes!  Can  give  you  dinner,  if  you 
want  it,  in  half  an  hour.  But  supper  will  be  ready  in 
about  an  hour.  Don't  you  think  you  had  better  take  both 
meals  in  one?  " 

Claude  looked  around  at  his  friends  to  see  what  they 
thought  of  the  proposition,  and  Phil  said  he  could 
wait  an  hour  easy  enough  if  the  others  could.  The 
rest  of  the  boys  concluded  they  could  stand  it  if  Phil 
and  Claude  could ;  so  nothing  more  was  said  about 
dinner,  and  they  sat  down  and  talked  over  their  future 
plans  until  supper-time. 

The  driver  told  the  landlord  about  the  broken  bridge, 
and  he  ordered  one  of  his  men  to  harness  up  a  team,  take 
a  lantern,  and  ride  down  to  the  bridge,  and  put  it  up 
there,  so  that  no  one  would  ride  into  the  brook  during 
the  night.  He  also  told  him  to  notify  a  Mr.  Jones, 
who  had  charge  of  the  road,  that  the  bridge  was 
down,  so  it  could  be  repaired  the  next  day. 

After  supper  Claude  made  a  bargain  with  the  land- 
lord to  take  the  party,  with  their  boats  and  baggage,  to 
Second  Lake.  Feeling  tired  after  their  ride,  the  boys 
went  to  bed  early,  to  obtain  a  good  night's  rest. 

They  were  up  betimes  Tuesday  morning,  and,  after 
a  good  breakfast,  put  on  their  hunting-suits,  and  pre- 
pared for  the  start.  The  boats  were  carefully  loaded 
into  a  hayrack,  and  secured  in  such  a  manner  that 
they  could  not  chafe,  and  their  supplies  and  other  traps 
were  loaded  upon  two  buckboards.  The  distance  from 
the  hotel  to  Second  Lake  was  about  eight  miles ;  but,  as 


The  Start  for  Second  Lake.  79 

the  horses  would  have  to  walk  all  the  way,  they  did  not 
expect  to  reach  Chester's  Camp  until  noon. 

At  half-past  seven  they  bade  the  landlord  good- 
morning,  and  started  on  the  "  war-path,"  as  Adams 
expressed  it.  Claude  and  St.  Clair  loaded  their  guns 
as  they  left  the  hotel,  in  the  hope  of  getting  a  shot  at  a 
few  partridges. 

The  first  two  miles  the  boys  rode  on  the  buckboards, 
but,  becoming  tired  of  riding  so  slowly,  they  left  the 
teams,  and  went  ahead,  after  learning  from  the  drivers 
that  they  could  not  by  any  possibility  lose  the  road. 

"  How  long  will  it  take  to  cross  the  carry  to  Par- 
machenee  Lake?"  asked  Wingate  of  Claude  as  they 
trudged  along. 

' '  I  suppose  we  can  go  over  in  half  a  day  easy 
enough,"  replied  Claude  ;  "  but  it  will  take  one  whole 
day,  perhaps  longer,  to  get  the  boats  and  stores 
across." 

"Are  you  sure  we  can  hire  men  at  Chester's  to  take 
our  things  over  for  us?  "  inquired  Adams. 

"  Well,  no,  not  absolutely  sure.  But  the  landlord  at 
the  Connecticut  Lake  House  told  me  there  were  gen- 
erally three  or  four  guides  at  Chester's  Camp,  and  I 
guess  we  shall  be  able  to  get  some  one  to  do  the  '  toting,' 
as  these  fellows  call  it  up  here.  Besides,  if  it  come  to 
the  worst,  we  could  get  the  things  over  ourselves." 

"  It  would  take  us  a  week,"  added  Phil,  with  a  wry 
face  at  the  bare  idea. 

"  I  guess  we  should  be  weak  by  the  time  we  finished 
the  job,"  put  in  Le  Roy,  laughing. 

"  I  don't  propose  to  borrow  any  trouble  about  it," 
said  Claude. 


80  Wild  Woods  Life. 

They  were  now  passing  through  a  piece  of  woods, 
and,  calling  to  St.  Clair  to  accompany  him,  Claude 
asked  the  rest  of  the  party  to  keep  back,  and  perhaps 
his  companion  and  himself  might  get  a  shot  at  some 
partridges. 

The  two  gunners  went  on  in  advance  of  the  others, 
and  in  about  fifteen  minutes  came  upon  three  par- 
tridges sunning  themselves  in  the  middle  of  the  road. 
The  birds  did  not  seem  at  all  startled  at  the  noise  the 
boys  made,  and,  instead  of  flying,  walked  a  few  steps, 
and  then  stopped  and  looked  at  them. 

"  Let  them  have  it !  "  cried  Claude,  and  the  two  boys 
fired  simultaneously,  killing  the  three  birds  at  the  first 
fire ;  but,  as  they  were  only  about  thirty  feet  away 
from  them,  it  would  have  been  strange  if  they  had 
missed. 

"So  much  towards  dinner,"  said  St.  Clair,  as  they 
picked  up  the  birds,  which  were  young  and  fat. 

Then  they  each  put  a  fresh  cartridge  in  their  guns, 
and  waited  for  their  friends  to  come  up. 

"  First  game,"  announced  Claude,  as  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  party  came  hurriedly  toward  them,  having 
heard  the  reports  of  the  guns. 

"  Three  partridges,  boys,"  sang  out  Maynard,  as  he 
caught  sight  of  the  birds. 

"Yes,"  replied  Claude,  "and  if  some  of  you  will 
carry  them,  Andrew  and  I  will  push  ahead  again,  and 
see  if  we  can't  find  some  more  to  go  with  them." 

Adams  took  the  birds,  and  the  two  gunners  went  on 
again. 

"Great  Scott!  I  wish  I  had  my  rifle,"  exclaimed 
Wingate,  as  a  large  bald-headed  eagle  flew  over  their 


The  Bald  Eagle.  81 

heads,  as  they  stood  in  a  group  waiting  for  Claude  and 
St.  Clair  to  get  out  of  sight. 

"  If  either  of  us  had  a  rifle  that  fellow  would  not 
have  come  so  near  us.  They  know  a  thing  or  two, 
those  eagles  do." 

"  Perhaps  not ;  but  I  mean  to  get  a  shot  at  one  before 
we  go  home." 

"  I  should  like  to  knock  one  of  those  baldies  over," 
chimed  in  Phil ;  "  they  look  very  handsome  when  they 
are  well  set  up." 

"  They  differ  a  good  deal  from  men,  then,"  said 
Adams. 

"  Differ  from  men?     What  do  you  mean? " 

"  Why  a  man  generally  does  not  look  very  well 
when  he  is  '  set  up,'"  returned  Adams,  with  a  sly  grin. 

"  Oh,  rest  your  mouth  !  "  cried  Maynard  ;  "  it's  too 
early  in  the  day  for  that  kind  of  talk." 

"  He  can't  help  it  any  more  than  a  mule  can  kick- 
ing," added  Le  Roy;  "but  let's  be  moving  along,  the 
boys  are  far  enough  ahead  by  this  time." 

"When  we  reach  the  lake  I  suppose  we  had  better 
put  in  our  boats,  load  our  things  into  them,  and  go  by 
water  to  Chester's  Camp.  What  do  you  say,  Claude?" 

"  Certainly,  Andrew,  that  will  be  the  easiest  way  to 
do  it." 

"  Do  you  suppose  there  are  any  brook-trout  in 
Second  Lake,  Claude?  The  landlord  down  to  the 
other  hotel  told  me  there  were  very  few  in  Connecticut 
Lake,  but  that  there  were  plenty  of  lake-trout." 

"  I  guess  they  are  all  brook-trout  in  Second  Lake  ; 
but  I  don't  know  sure.  However,  we  shall  find  out 
when  we  get  there." 


82  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  This  is  a  pretty  hard  road  we  are  travelling  on," 
said  St.  Clair. 

"  Yes,  it  is  nothing  but  a  lumber  road  ;  is  not  used 
much  in  summer,  I  guess." 

Just  then  a  large  animal  came  out  of  the  woods  on 
their  right,  and,  leisurely  crossing  the  road,  disappeared 
in  the  forest  to  the  west.  Both  of  the  boys  saw  it,  and 
gave  an  excited  shout  of  "A  moose  !  A  moose  ! "  and, 
with  more  zeal  than  discretion,  started  in  pursuit.  But 
they  might  as  well  have  chased  a  whirlwind,  for  the 
moose,  startled  by  the  outcry  they  had  made,  tore  through 
the  woods  at  a  pace  that  effectually  discouraged  pur- 
suit, and  the  only  glimpse  the  boys  obtained  of  him  was 
the  one  they  had  caught  from  the  road. 

A  half-hour's  rapid  pursuit  had,  however,  well  tired 
them,  for  the  day  was  very  hot,  and  they  stopped  and 
sat  down  on  an  old  windfall,  to  rest  a  few  moments 
before  going  back  to  the  road. 

While  sitting  on  the  fallen  tree  they  heard  a  noise 
behind  them,  and,  looking  around,  they  saw  a  flock  of 
partridges,  and  counted  seven.  The  birds  were  on  the 
ground,  moving  slowly  about,  apparently  in  quest  of 
food,  and  were  within  easy  gunshot. 

Claude  whispered  to  his  companion  to  fire,  and  him- 
self blazed  away.  They  shot  four  birds  out  of  the 
seven,  the  other  three  flying.  The  boys  watched  them, 
and  noticed  where  they  alighted,  and,  stealing  carefully 
up  towards  them,  knocked  them  over  with  their  re- 
maining barrels. 

Picking  up  their  game,  they  retraced  their  way 
slowly  to  the  road,  and  came  out  just  as  the  teams 
drove  along.  They  learned  from  the  teamsters  that 


The  Moose  Story.  83 

their  friends  were  ahead,  and  they  started  on  in 
advance  of  the  teams.  It  was  half-past  ten  when  they 
joined  their  friends  at  the  foot  of  the  lake,  and  Phil  told 
them  the  rest  of  the  party  had  been  there  half  an 
hour,  and  were  beginning  to  worry  about  them. 

"  Did  you  notice  anything  in  the  road,  Phil,"  asked 
Claude,  "  when  you  came  along  after  we  left  you  this 
time  ?  " 

"  Nothing  particular.  Did  you  see  anything  worth 
looking  at?" 

"  I  guess  we  did." 

"What  was  it?" 

"  A  moose,"  put  in  St.  Clair. 

"  Oh,  nonsense  !  " 

"  It's  a  fact,"  asseverated  Claude,  "  and  we  followed 
him  for  half  an  hour  into  the  woods  on  the  left  of  the 
road,  and  shot  these  partridges  in  there." 

"  Was  it  a  large  one?"  inquired  Adams. 

"A  regular  old  reefer,"  returned  Claude,  —  "half 
as  large  as  an  elephant." 

' '  Why  didn't  you  shoot  him  ?  "  queried  Maynard. 

"  Because  we  never  got  sight  of  him  again  after  he 
crossed  the  road,  and,  at  the  rate  he  travelled,  I  guess  he 
is  in  Canada  by  this  time." 

"  That  was  too  bad,"  said  Le  Roy.  "  I  wish  you  had 
shot  him." 

"So  do  I,"  added  St.  Clair.  "  But  you  know,  if 
wishes  were  horses,  beggars  might  ride." 

"Did  you  see  anything  of  the  teams?"  asked 
Adams. 

"Yes,"  replied  Claude.  "We  met  them  when  we 
came  out  of  the  woods." 


84  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  Are  they  very  far  behind?  " 

"  Not  a  great  way.  I  think  they'll  be  here  soon  ;  but 
while  we  are  waiting  for  them  let's  pluck  these 
partridges." 

The  boys  now  busied  themselves  in  removing  the 
feathers  from  the  birds,  and,  after  they  had  picked  them 
clean,  dressed  them,  and  had  them  all  ready  for  Tom 
Chester's  cook,  when  they  should  reach  his  camp. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  teams  arrived.  The  boats  were 
unloaded  and  placed  in  the  water,  and  the  stores,  tents, 
and  other  baggage  packed  away  in  them.  With  a 
"  Good-by !  "  to  the  drivers,  the  boys  jumped  into 
their  boats  and  pulled  for  the  camp,  which  stood  on 
the  west  shore  of  the  lake,  about  two  miles  beyond. 
Claude,  Maynard,  and  Phil  were  in  the  "  Fairy,"  St. 
Clair  and  Adams  in  the  "  Go  Ahead,"  and  Wingate 
and  Le  Roy  in  the  "  Water  Witch."  Pulling  abreast 
of  each  other,  the  oarsmen  kept  their  boats  in  that  posi- 
tion until  they  reached  the  camp.  They  were  in  no 
hurry,  and  pulled  a  long  easy  stroke.  As  the  light  craft 
rippled  through  the  placid  waters  of  the  lake  they  pre- 
sented a  beautiful  sight. 

As  they  came  within  sight  of  Chester's  Camp  they 
were  discovered  by  the  occupants,  who  stepped  out  to 
watch  them,  headed  by  old  Tom  himself.  As  the 
boats  floated  in  to  the  shore,  the  by-standers  passed 
many  complimentary  remarks  upon  them. 

The  boys  stepped  carefully  out  of  the  boats,  after 
passing  the  time  of  day  with  those  on  shore,  and  Claude, 
as  spokesman  for  the  party,  asked  Chester  if  he  could 
accommodate  them  until  the  next  day. 

"  Sartenly,  sartenly,"  answered  the  old  man,  and  he 


Second  Lake  —  Tom  Chester's.  85 

busied  himself  in  helping  unload  the  boats.  After  this 
was  done,  the  boys  each  took  a  valise,  containing  their 
special  belongings,  up  to  camp,  leaving  the  rest  of  their 
things  on  the  shore. 

Claude  turned  the  partridges  over  to  Tom,  and  told 
him  they  would  like  them  for  dinner.  The  landlord 
said  they  should  have  them,  and  that  he  would  have 
dinner  ready  for  them  by  one  o'clock. 

The  boys  found  the  present  occupants  of  the  camp  to 
be  two  New  York  gentlemen  and  their  guides,  and  three 
other  guides,  who  were  waiting  for  a  party  whom  they 
were  daily  expecting.  One  of  these  last  was  called  Ned 
Norton,  and  Claude  fell  into  conversation  with  him, 
while  awaiting  their  dinner,  and,  after  some  talk,  made 
a  bargain  with  him  and  his  two  companions  to  get  their 
boats  and  baggage  across  the  carry,  and,  as  the  tents 
would  be  the  first  thing  they  would  need,  Norton 
agreed  to  take  them  over  that  afternoon  and  set  them 
up  for  the  party. 

"  But  you  can't  get  back  to-night?  "  said  Claude. 

"No,  but  we  can  be  here  by  seven  to-morrow 
morning." 

The  party  were  favorably  impressed  with  Camp 
Chester,  and,  indeed,  it  was  very  pleasantly  located.  It 
stood  a  short  distance  back  from  the  water,  facing  the 
lake  and  the  boundless  forest  beyond,  stretching  away 
mile  upon  mile  to  the  eastward.  Of  the  three  Con- 
necticut lakes,  Second  Lake  is  by  far  the  handsomest,  and 
has  a  decided  advantage  over  the  large  lake  below, 
from  the  fact  that  on  all  sides  it  is  surrounded  by  a 
heavy  growth  of  hard  and  soft  woods,  which,  as  yet, 
have  escaped  the  ruthless  hands  of  the  Connecticut 


86  Wild  Woods  Life. 

River  Lumber  Company.  Large  game  of  all  kinds 
are  to  be  found  in  the  vicinity,  and  one  of  the  New 
York  gentlemen  told  Claude  that  they  had  shot  two 
deer  while  they  had  been  there,  in  a  little  over  a  week. 

Just  then  the  welcome  sound  of  "Dinner"  came 
from  the  Camp,  and  the  boys  left  off  talking  to  repair 
to  the  table. 

After  the  meal  was  over  the  party  adjourned  out- 
doors, and  the  boys  put  their  fishing-rods  together  with 
the  intention  of  trying  their  luck  with  the  trout  later 
in  the  afternoon.  Norton  and  his  two  companions 
started  about  two  o'clock  for  Parmachenee  Lake, 
carrying  the  tents  and  a  few  other  articles,  and  agreed 
to  be  back  the  next  morning. 

When  he  had  put  his  rod  together  Claude  found 
the  landlord,  and  interviewed  him  about  the  fishing- 
grounds.  Tom  told  him  the  most  likely  place  to  visit, 
and  then  suggested  that  four  o'clock  was  early  enough 
to  start. 

"  Do  you  get  much  game  about  here,  Mr.  Chester? " 
asked  Claude. 

"  Yes,  considerable.  Deer  and  moose,  and,  some- 
times, caribou  are  plenty  enough  about  here,  and  there's 
lots  of  otter  and  beaver." 

"  I  never  saw  a  beaver,"  returned  Claude,  "  but  I 
have  a  moose.  One  of  our  party,  Maynard,  shot  one 
over  to  the  Richardson  Lakes,  when  we  were  there  two 
years  ago." 

"  Wall,  if  you  was  goin'  ter  be  around  here  any 
length  of  time  I'd  take  you  to  a  beaver  dam  ;  but,  per- 
haps, you'll  run  across  one  over  Parmachenee  way." 

"  Hope  I  shall ;  I  would  like  to  see  one." 


Scenting  a  Story,  87 

As  it  still  lacked  an  hour  of  the  time  when  they  had 
decided  to  start  after  the  trout,  Claude  brought  out  his 
sketch-book,  and  made  a  picture  of  the  lake  from  the 
camp,  while  his  friends  amused  themselves  in  various 
ways. 

St.  Clair  told  the  New  York  gentlemen  about  the 
moose  that  he  and  Claude  had  seen  in  the  morning, 
and  they  concluded  to  start  off,  accompanied  by  their 
guides,  the  first  thing  after  supper,  and  see  if  they  could 
not  run  across  him. 

One  of  the  gentlemen  informed  St.  Clair  that  the 
guides  had  a  way  of  enticing  the  moose  toward  them 
by  using  a  sort  of  trumpet  of  birch-bark,  making  a  noise 
similar  to  that  made  by  the  moose,  and  known  among 
woodsmen  as  the  "  moose-call." 

"  Have  you  done  much  shooting?"  asked  St.  Clair, 
who  was  interested  in  anything  appertaining  to 
hunting. 

"Considerable.  But  all  I  have  ever  done  never 
gave  me  as  much  pleasure  as  the  first  deer-hunt  I  had 
on  snow." 

"Tell  us  about  it,"  urged  St.  Clair;  and  his  com- 
panions, scenting  a  story,  gathered  about  to  listen. 

Lighting  a  cigar,  the  gentleman  threw  himself  on  the 
ground  at  full  length,  and  surrounded  by  the  boys,  each 
in  the  position  that  best  suited  his  convenience,  held 
forth  as  follows  :  — 

"  Some  twenty  years  ago  business  brought  me,  in 
winter,  to  Portland,  Me.,  and,  being  an  enthusiast  in 
sporting  matters,  I  brought  my  gunning  equipment 
with  me.  After  successfully  completing  my  business,  I 
went  up  to  Bethel,  and  from  there  to  the  Magalloway 


88  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Settlement,  where  I  engaged  a  guide,  who  had  a  good 
dog,  and  we  started  out  on  a  week's  hunt. 

"  One  morning,  after  a  fearfully  cold  night,  when  the 
snow  lay  on  the  ground  to  the  depth  of  four  or  five  feet 
in  sheltered  places,  but  less  over  tracts  exposed  to  the 
wind,  Nay  Bennett  and  I  crawled  out  of  our  pit  below 
the  crust,  under  the  lea  of  Emery  mountain,  where  we 
had  passed  the  night  very  comfortably,  in  spite  of  the 
intense  cold,  with  our  feet  at  a  good  log  fire,  and, 
slipping  on  our  snow-shoes,  commenced  our  journey 
toward  Parmachenee  Lake,  in  search  of  moose." 

"  There's  where  we  are  going,"  said  Adams. 

"  So  Mr.  Emerson  told  me.  I  wish  I  was  going 
with  you,  but  we  leave  for  home  Monday  morning." 

"Don't  interrupt  the  story,  Adams,"  said  Maynard. 

The  gentleman  smiled  at  Maynard's  remark,  and 
proceeded. 

"  We  had  not  made  more  than  a  couple  of  miles  over 
the  crisp,  sparkling  crust,  which  was  hard  enough  to 
bear  us,  and  were  about  entering  a  track  of  black- 
growth  timber,  near  the  summit  of  a  moderate  hill, 
when  we  observed  numerous  deer-tracks,  and  fresh- 
bitten  shrubs,  which  indicated  that  we  were  in  a  deer- 
yard." 

"  What  is  a  deer-yard?"  inquired  Maynard. 

"  Now  who  is  interrupting?  "  queried  Adams,  with  a 
sarcastic  grin. 

Maynard  blushed  at  being  caught  "  on  the  hip,"  and 
the  gentleman  proceeded  with  his  story,  and  answered 
Maynard's  inquiry  at  the  same  time. 

"It  is  the  habit  of  these  animals,  as  well  as  of  moose, 
in  northern  latitudes,  when  the  snow  is  deep  and  crusty 


A  Moose  Hunt.  89 


in  the  month  of  March,  to  stop  and  yard  until  the  snow 
melts  away,  or  becomes  soft  enough  for  them  to  travel 
about  without  cutting  their  legs.  This  is  done  by  select- 
ing a  spot  where  there  is  an  abundance  of  undergrowth 
and  shrubbery,  which,  in  the  warm  days  of  that  month, 
throw  out  their  smelling  buds  in  anticipation  of  more 
favorable  weather.  Upon  these  sweet  and  tender  buds 
the  deer  will  browse  contentedly  until  the  snow  is  nearly 
gone.  By  running  over  the  snow,  as  the  crust  begins 
to  form,  and  by  depressing  it,  a  firmer  crust  is  formed 
than  in  the  surrounding  forest,  which  enables  them  to 
run  about  more  readily  in  quest  of  food.  Sometimes 
the  area  of  a  yard  is  more  than  two  or  three  hundred 
acres,  but  generally  less,  depending  upon  the  number 
of  deer  yarding  together.  In  this  instance  we  found 
the  yard  to  be  a  large  one,  and,  although  we  were  in 
search  of  moose,  we  concluded,  in  the  absence  of  veni- 
son or  other  fresh  meat  from  our  larder,  to  take  in 
some  if  possible.  We  therefore  prosecuted  our  search 
up  and  down  and  across  the  yard  until  nearly  two 
hours  had  passed,  and  we  were  seemingly  no  nearer 
our  game  than  at  the  commencement  of  our  search, 
although  the  signs  were  most  encouraging. 

"  As  we  had  been  travelling  briskly,  we  concluded  to 
take  a  short  halt,  and  let  our  dog,  Zip,  make  the  search 
alone  for  a  while.  Zip  was  a  veteran  in  this  line  of 
exertion,  and  immediately  put  himself  out  vigorously 
at  the  order  from  Nay.  Hardly  had  he  disappeared  in 
advance  before  his  quick  running  yelp  announced  the 
finding  of  game.  We  speedily  followed,  and  found 
that  we  had  halted  in  close  proximity  to  a  number  of 
deer,  which  Zip  had  started  from  their  beds  in  the 


90  Wild  Woods  Life. 

snow.  We  saw  plainly  the  hollows  or  resting-places 
from  which  they  had  been  so  suddenly  started,  and 
down  the  hillside  we  saw  the  road  or  ploughed  furrow 
by  which  they  had  escaped.  It  was  wide  and  deep,  and 
indicated  the  passage  of  a  dozen  or  more.  We  could 
plainly  hear  the  yelping  of  Zip  not  far  ahead,  who 
apparently  was  not  making  any  rapid  progress. 

"I  hastily  gave  Nay  my  pack  and  gun,  and  rushed 
down  the  hill  in  pursuit  as  rapidly  as  my  snow-shoes 
would  allow  me,  leaving  Nay  to  follow  as  fast  as  he 
could  with  his  increased  burden. 

"  An  important  object  after  starting  deer  in  this  man- 
ner is  to  hurry  them  up  as  much  as  possible  at  first, 
which  increases  their  alarm  and  occasions  more  flounder- 
ing and  fatigue  than  would  result  from  a  slow  follow- 
ing. Deer,  when  closely  pursued  at  first,  will  soon 
lose  courage  and  strength  if  the  travelling  is  difficult ; 
but,  if  allowed  to  get  over  the  first  fluriy,  will  settle 
down  into  a  more  cool  and  steady  exertion.  I  soon 
came  up  with  Zip,  who  was  doing  all  he  could,  but 
who  found  the  crust  too  soft  to  fully  sustain  him.  I  left 
him  behind,  which  annoyed  him  very  much,  as  evinced 
by  his  redoubled  exertions  and  yelping.  A  mile  more 
of  rapid  travelling  brought  me  in  sight  of  the  deer,  — 
a  splendid  drove  of  thirteen,  —  led  by  a  large  buck, 
which  I  mentally  resolved  should  be  mine." 

"I  wish  I  had  been  there,"  cried  Le  Roy,  who  was 
getting  excited  over  the  story. 

"  At  my  near  approach  their  exertions  were  in- 
creased, but  only  to  still  more  hopelessly  flounder  in 
the  snow  ;  and,  upon  my  reaching  them,  they  separated 
from  each  other,  as  usual  in  such  cases,  each  taking 


A  Deer  at  Bay.  91 

care  of  himself.  Singling  out  the  big  buck,  I  brought 
him  to  bay,  the  others  soon  being  lost  to  my  sight. 
The  old  fellow  would  turn  and  face  me  upon  my  near 
approach ;  but,  finding  himself  unmolested,  would 
exert  himself  to  escape,  until  again  crowded.  My 
object  was  to  detain  him  until  Nay  or  Zip  should  come 
up.  Finally  Zip  arrived,  and  immediately  commenced 
a  furious  onslaught,  after  the  manner  of  dogs  of  his 
class,  which,  being  trained  to  hunt  moose,  do  not  close 
in,  but  keep  up  a  perpetual  springing  and  barking, 
which  serves  to  annoy  and  hold  the  game  at  bay  until 
the  hunter  arrives  with  his  gun.  A  dog  of  good  metal 
and  hold-fast  qualities  would  most  likely  lose  his  life  in 
endeavoring  to  seize  and  hold  a  full-grown  moose, 
owing  to  the  effective  manner  this  animal  has  of  strik- 
ing out  with  his  forefeet ;  and  the  dogs  employed  by 
moose-hunters  in  that  part  of  the  country  are  of  an 
ordinary  character,  and  are  effective  in  their  way.  Zip 
was  one  of  this  sort ;  and,  although  the  animal  we  had 
at  bay  was  much  inferior  to  a  bull  moose,  I  could  not 
get  him  to  lay  hold,  while  the  buck  was  gradually 
working  his  way  to  a  hill-side  not  far  distant,  where 
the  snow  was  partially  blown  away,  which  I  feared  he 
might  reach,  and,  perhaps,  escape,  before  Nay  came 
up  with  the  gun." 

"Hang  such  a  dog  as  that!"  broke  in  Phil,  with 
emphasis. 

Without  taking  any  notice  of  the  interruption,  the 
gentleman  went  on  :  — 

"I  therefore  kept  very  close,  and  urged  Zip  on  con- 
tinually. The  buck  would  start  on  as  speedily  as  possi- 
ble until  Zip's  running  nips  would  bring  him  around, 


92  Wild  Woods  Life. 

when  he  would  charge  in  a  gallant  manner ;  but  Zip's 
ability  to  keep  out  of  harm's  way  was  only  too  evident. 
In  vain  I  urged  him  to  hold,  but  hold  he  would  not, 
though  most  noisy  and  persistent  in  his  peculiar  war- 
fare. The  buck  finally  became  very  furious  at  this  con- 
tinual goading,  and  employed  nearly  all  his  time  in 
charging  and  striking  at  Zip,  giving  out  in  his  fear  and 
rage  an  angry,  hissing  sound.  In  the  excitement  I  had 
approached  within  ten  or  twelve  feet  of  him,  when 
suddenly,  disregarding  the  dog,  who,  as  usual,  made 
good  his  escape,  came  upon  me  so  quickly  that,  in  my 
efforts  to  retreat,  I  locked  my  snow-shoes,  and  came 
down  upon  my  back." 

"  Holy  mackerel !  you  was  in  a  fix  then,"  exclaimed 
St.  Clair. 

"I  think  I  was,"  remarked  the  gentleman,  with  a 
smile. 

"  I  saw  his  leap,  and  his  body  coming  down  upon 
me  with  his  forefeet  close  together  in  striking  condi- 
tion. I  had  barely  time  to  twist  my  body  a  little  on 
one  side,  when  down  in  the  snow  close  beside  my  waist 
came  his  cleaving  feet.  I  had  in  my  right  hand  a 
buck-horn  handle-knife  with  a  thirteen-inch  double- 
edged  blade,  running  to  a  point.  I  had  drawn  this  out 
on  my  near  approach  to  the  buck,  and,  as  I  felt  his 
breath  on  my  face,  I  suddenly  threw  both  arms  around 
his  neck,  to  detain  him  from  coming  down  upon  me 
again  with  his  sharp  feet ;  but  his  strengthjvas  so  great 
that  he  instantly  rose  in  the  air  with  me  hanging  to  his 
neck,  while  Zip,  who  had  grown  more  courageous, 
seized  him  firmly  by  the  rear.  The  buck  was  now  in 
a  decidedly  bad  fix  "  — 


In  at  the  Death.  93 

"  Had  him  where  the  wool  was  short,"  interrupted 
Adams. 

"  This  fact  he  seemed  well  aware  of,  and  I  was  very 
much  astonished  at  the  rapidity  with  which  he  leaped 
up  and  down,  despite  the  heavy  burdens  he  carried  in 
the  front  and  rear.  I  came  to  the  immediate  conclusion 
that  his  strength  would  outlast  mine,  unless  abated  by 
some  extreme  action.  So,  finally,  compressing  my  left 
arm,  which  was  hooked  over  his  neck,  and  rapidly 
seizing  his  throat  with  my  left  hand,  I  liberated  my 
right  arm  and  brought  my  knife  blade  down  to  the  hilt 
in  his  neck ;  it  seemed  like  cutting  butter,  the  knife 
slipped  into  his  flesh  so  readily.  Down  came  buck, 
dog,  and  myself  in  a  confused  sort  of  way,  myself  under- 
neath ;  but  the  buck  had  ceased  to  struggle,  and  I  pushed 
aside  his  head  to  keep  off  the  hot  red  blood  which 
spurted  from  his  wound  and  nostrils,  and  rose  to  my 
feet,  well  tired  from  my  exertions.  The  buck  was  dead, 
and  I  had  been  lucky  enough  not  to  receive  a  scratch. 
Nay  soon  arrived,  and  we  dressed  and  hung  up  the  buck 
in  a  tree,  above  the  reach  of  animals.  Cutting  from  him 
enough  meat  to  supply  our  immediate  wants,  we  pur- 
sued our  way  towards  Parmachenee  Lake.  When  we 
returned,  two  weeks  later,  we  found  his  frozen  carcass 
hanging  as  we  had  left  it.  Nay  rigged  up  a  rough 
sled,  and  hauled  him  out  to  the  settlement,  where  we 
found  his  weight  to  be  one  hundred  and  eighty-nine 
pounds." 

"  He  was  a  rouser  !  "    said  Phil. 

Claude  thanked  the  gentleman  for  his  story,  and, 
telling  his  friends  it  was  time  they  were  off  if  they 
were  going  to  have  any  time  for  fishing,  led  the  way 


94  Wild  Woods  Life. 

to  the  boats.  Launching  their  light  craft,  they  pulled 
to  the  location  that  Chester  had  told  them  of,  and, 
separating  a  little,  began  whipping  the  lake.  As  only 
two  could  conveniently  fish  from  a  boat,  Phil,  who 
was  with  Claude  and  Maynard,  amused  himself  by 
watching  his  companions,  at  the  same  time  holding 
himself  in  readiness  to  net  any  fish  that  either  of  his 
friends  might  get  near  enough. 

The  day  had  been  so  warm  that  the  trout  were  slow 
to  rise,  and,  after  a  couple  of  hours'  fishing,  the  parly 
pulled  back  to  camp,  having  only  captured  thirteen 
small  trout,  the  largest  of  which  would  not  run  over 
three-quarters  of  a  pound. 

Claude  took  the  trout  up  to  camp,  and  asked  Tom  to 
cook  them  for  their  supper.  This  he  promised  to  do, 
and  told  him  as  they  had  caught  so  few  trout,  they  should 
have  some  moose  meat  to  keep  them  company. 

Claude  informed  his  companions  that  Chester  had 
promised  to  give  them  some  moose  meat  for  supper  ;  at 
which  they  were  all  delighted,  more  especially  Phil, 
who  had  never  eaten  any. 

As  they  did  not  intend  to  do  any  more  fishing  until 
they  reached  Parmachenee,  the  boys  filled  up  the  time 
while  waiting  for  tea  by  packing  up  their  rods. 

A  little  before  seven  the  New  York  gentlemen,  who 
had  eaten  their  supper  before  the  boys,  started  off  with 
their  guides,  to  try  and  get  a  shot  at  the  moose  that 
Claude  had  told  them  about.  They  took  their  rifles," 
blankets,  and  a  few  other  necessary  articles,  intending 
to  be  out  all  night.  The  boys  felt  interested  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  expedition,  and  wished  them  good  luck,  and 
Claude  asked  one  of  the  gentlemen  to  send  them  word 


The  First  Night  in  the   Wilderness.          95 

whether  they  killed  the  moose ;  if  the  boys  had  left 
when  they  came  back  to  camp  ;  and  Mr.  Loud  promised 
to  do  so. 

After  supper  the  boys  gathered  with  Tom  outside 
the  camp,  near  the  door-way,  and  listened  to  the  old  trap- 
per spin  his  yarns,  amid  a  cloud  of  tobacco-smoke,  that, 
like  a  huge  incense,  rose  above  him.  Story  after  story  of 
hardship  and  adventure  in  thewoods  fell  from  his  lips,  that 
were  eagerly  devoured  by  his  attentive  listeners.  Many 
of  them  were  laid  in  Eastern  Maine,  where  Tom  had 
spent  several  years,  trapping  in  the  unbroken  wilderness 
about  Katahdin,  and  Tom  told  the  boys  that  some  time 
they  should  visit  the  Penobscot  region,  w-hich  they  men- 
tally vowed  they  would  do,  after  listening  to  the  stirring 
adventures  which  the  trapper  had  experienced  in  that 
portion  of  the  wilds  of  Maine.  Time  passed  so  quickly 
that  it  was  eleven  o'clock  before  they  knew  it ;  and  then, 
telling  them  that  he  must  go  to  bed,  their  host  showed 
them  to  their  bunks,  and  turned  in  himself. 

The  boys  had  hardly  gone  to  bed  when  an  owl,  in  a 
tree  back  of  the  camp,  began  his  "  Te  whit,  te  whit,  te 
woo  ! "  and  this  was  answered  by  the  dismal  cry  of  a 
loon,  somewhere  in  the  lake,  who  thought,  perhaps,  that 
the  owl  was  calling  him. 

Maynard  proposed  that  they  should  turn  out  and  try 
and  shoot  the  owl  and  the  loon  ;  but  Claude  declared  that 
it  was  late,  and  that  they  needed  all  the  sleep  they 
could  get,  as  the  next  day's  travel  would  be  hard ;  and, 
therefore,  his  friend  gave  up  the  idea,  and,  by  midnight, 
silence  reigned  throughout  the  camp,  only  broken  by 
an  occasional  snore  from  some  one  of  the  tired  sleepers. 

It  seemed  to  Claude  that  he  had  slept  scarcely  an  hour 


96  Wild  Woods  Life. 

when  Tom  gave  him  a  gentle  shake,  and  informed  him 
that  it  was  six  o'clock,  and  that"  breakfast  would  be 
ready  in  half  an  hour.  Yawning  and  stretching,  Claude 
turned  out,  and  called  to  his  friends :  — 

"  Come,  boys  !  all  hands  on  deck  !  It  is  the  middle 
of  the  day,  and  breakfast  is  all  over !  " 

"  What's  that  you  say?"  inquired  Adams,  who  had 
only  caught  his  last  words,  as  he  started  up  in  alarm. 
"  Did  you  say  breakfast  was  all  over?" 

"  Certainly,"  answered  Claude,  turning  around  to 
conceal  a  smile. 

"  Then  it's  a  cold  day  for  you,  John,"  declared  May- 
nard,  poking  Adams  in  the  ribs. 

"  I  guess  we  shall  find  something,"  added  St.  Clair, 
as  he  began  dressing.  ' '  Claude  is  only  trying  to  frighten 
us,  to  take  our  appetites  away  ; "  and,  amid  much  laugh- 
ter, and  a  running-fire  of  joke  and  repartee,  the  boys 
finished  dressing. 

As  soon  as  they  had  completed  their  toilet  they  hur- 
ried out-doors  to  see  what  the  weather  looked  like,  and 
found  they  would  have  another  warm,  pleasant  day  ;  and 
while  they  were  discussing  what  they  should  carry,  Tom 
called  them  to  breakfast. 

Just  as  they  arose  from  the  table,  Ned  Norton  and  his 
two  companions  came  in,  and  Ned  told  them  that  he 
should  be  ready  to  start  again  as  soon  as  they  had  eaten 
breakfast. 

"  How  far  have  you  come  this  morning,  Mr.  Nor- 
ton?" asked  Claude. 

"  Six  miles.     We  started  at  four  o'clock." 

"And  shall  you  start  right  back  without  resting 
any?"  inquired  St.  Clair. 


Crossing  the  Carry.  97 

"  Certainly.  A  six-mile  walk  is  nothing,"  and  the 
guide  laughed  as  if  St.  Clair  had  asked  him  something 
funny. 

"  What  had  we  better  have  go  next,  boys?"  queried 
Claude,  as  he  looked  around  at  his  friends. 

"  The  boats,"  said  Wingate. 

"  The  blankets,"  cried  Phil. 

"  Some  grub,"  chimed  in  Adams. 

"  How  much  can  you  carry?  "  asked  Claude. 

"Oh,  we  are  good  for  seventy-five  pounds  apiece!" 
answered  Norton,  smiling  at  their  looks  of  astonishment 
when  he  mentioned  the  weight  they  could  carry. 

It  seemed  a  hard  matter  to  determine  what  they  needed 
the  most ;  but,  after  a  general  expression  of  opinion 
among  the  boys,  aided  by  suggestions  from  Tom  and 
the  guide,  it  was  decided  that  the  members  of  the  party 
should  each  carry  their  fire-arms  and  fishing-tackle,  and, 
in  addition,  Claude  should  take  their  iron  kettle,  St. 
Clair  the  cofFee-pot  and  teapot,  Wingate  the  two  fry- 
ing-pans, Maynard  the  wooden  water-pail,  in  which 
was  packed  twelve  dozen  of  eggs ;  Le  Roy  the  iron 
pot,  Adams  a  ten-quart  tin  pail  filled  with  butter,  and 
Phil,  what  dishes  he  could  make  a  convenient-sized 
bundle  of.  All  of  these  things  could  be  hung  to  their 
guns  or  rifles,  and  could  thus  be  carried  much  easier. 

Norton  was  to  take  one  of  the  boats,  the  oars  and 
paddle  being  lashed  firmly  inside,  one  of  his  friends 
some  blankets  and  flour,  and  the  other  a  few  pounds  of 
pork,  some  potatoes,  a  ham,  and  a  few  cans  of  condensed 
milk. 

Chester  agreed  to  take  care  of  the  two  boats  and  the 
other  things  left  behind,  until  Norton  and  his  friends 


98  Wild  Woods  Life. 

could  "  tote  "  them  across,  and  went  over  with  the  boys 
to  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  The  "  Fairy  "  was  taken 
out  of  the  water,  and  left  for  Norton  and  Chester,  after 
bidding  the  boys  "  good-by,"  and  wishing  them  "  good 
luck,"  returned  with  the  other  two  boats  to  camp. 

"  Now  then,  fellows,  let's  be  off,"  said  Claude,  as  he 
passed  the  barrels  of  his  gun  under  the  bale  of  the  kettle, 
and  swung  the  gun  on  his  shoulder,  taking  his  rod-case 
in  his  left  hand.  "  It  won't  pay  to  hurry  on  this  tramp  ; 
we'll  take  it  easy." 

The  others  loaded  in  the  same  manner,  and  were  soon 
stringing  along  in  single  file,  like  a  party  of  Indians  on 
the  war-path.  As  the  sun  climbed  high  in  the  skies,  the 
heat  in  the  thick  forest  was  intense,  and  the  sweat  rolled 
down  the  faces  of  the  boys,  who  stopped  occasionally  to 
change  their  loads  and  rest.  About  eleven  o'clock 
Norton  and  the  two  guides  passed  them,  and  Ned  told 
them  they  had  acomplished  half  the  distance. 

After  hearing  that,  Claude  proposed  that  they  should 
rest  and  eat  a  lunch  that  they  had  brought  from 
Chester's  with  them  ;  to  which  his  companions  gladly 
assented.  At  noon  they  started  again,  and  at  four 
o'clock  met  Norton  and  the  guides  on  their  return,  who 
told  them  they  were  only  a  mile  from  the  lake,  which 
was  welcome  news  to  the  tired  trampers. 

Norton  asked  what  they  should  bring  over  the  next 
day,  and  Claude  told  him  the  two  boats,  a  few  blankets, 
and  some  more  provisions.  Telling  Claude  that  he 
would  find  their  tents  all  set  up,  and  that  they  might 
look  for  them  the  next  day  at  noon,  they  left  them,  and 
a  moment  later  were  out  of  sight. 

"  What  walkers  those  fellows  are !  they  travel  like 


Arrival  at  Parmachence.  99 

horses,"  said  St.  Clair,  who  had  admired  the  free-and- 
easy  strides  with  which  the  guides  had  left  them. 

"  Yes,  and  they  carry  like  horses,  too.  The  idea  of 
a  man  lugging  seventy-five  pounds  across  here  on  his 
back  !  "  and  Phil  shrugged  his  shoulders  as  if  the  thought 
was  not  pleasant. 

"  We  shall  not  reach  the  lake  to-night  if  we  stand 
here  all  day  talking,"  sang  out  Le  Roy;  "remember 
we  have  our  own  supper  to  get  to-night." 

"  Yes,"  chimed  in  Adams,  "  and  I'm  as  hungry  as  a 
bear." 

"You're  always  hungry,"  declared  Wingate,  giving 
him  a  poke  ;  "you  must  have  swallowed  a  tape-worm 
when  you  was  a  child." 

"  I  can  swallow  you  in  about  two  minutes,"  retorted 
Adams,  "  if  you  keep  on  talking  that  kind  of  nonsense." 

"  Look  here,"  cried  Claude,  "  if  the  rest  of  you  wish 
to  stay  here  and  be  eaten  up  by  flies  and  mosquitoes, 
you  can,  but  I  am  going  along ;  "  and,  picking  up  his 
things,  he  started,  followed  by  his  friends,  who,  one  by 
one,  fell  into  line. 

It  was  a  quarter  of  five  when  the  boys  reached  the 
tents,  which  they  found  had  been  pitched  on  a  level 
piece  of  land,  clear  of  underbrush,  and  but  a  couple  of 
rods  from  the  water.  Quite  a  large  piece  of  the  upper 
end  of  the  lake  was  in  sight  from  the  camping-ground. 
Laying  their  things  in  the  store-tent,  they  sat  down  a 
few  moments  for  rest  and  consultation. 

"  Now,  fellows,"  said  Claude,  as  he  lookexl  from  one 
to  the  other,  "  we  may  as  well  organize  our  force  before 
we  begin  work.  As  you  all  know,  there  are  a  certain 
round  of  routine  camp  duties  that  must  be  performed, 


100  Wild  Woods  Life. 

if  we  are  going  to  live  agreeably  and  comfortably ;  and 
I  think  I  know  you  all  well  enough  to  say  that  I  don't 
believe  any  of  you  will  shirk  your  proper  amount  of  the 
labor.  As  we  are  all  supposed  to  be  cooks,  I  propose 
that  each  one  shall  take  his  turn  at  a  week's  cooking, 
and  that  whoever  is  cook  during  the  week  shall  be  boss 
of  the  camp,  and  shall  have  authority  to  call  on  any  of 
us  for  what  help  he  needs." 

"  But  I  don't  know  anything  about  cooking,"  pro- 
tested Phil.  "  I  have  not  been  taking  lessons  at  home 
all  summer,  as  the  rest  of  you  have." 

"  That's  nothing,"  returned  Claude,  "  you  can  learn 
here.  We  can  make  you  cook  for  the  last  week  of  our 
stay,  and  you  ought  to  learn  the  business  by  that  time." 

"  I'll  break  him  in,"  said  Maynard,  grinning. 

"  As  we  are  in  the  middle  of  a  week  now,"  continued 
Claude,  "  I'll  be  cook  for  the  balance  of  this  week  and 
through  next,  and  a  week  from  Sunday  somebody  else 
can  take  my  place." 

"Confound  these  mosquitoes!"  exclaimed  Phil; 
"  they  are  getting  thick." 

"That  is  so,"  replied  Maynard,  as  he  killed  two  on 
his  forehead  at  one  crack.  "  Let's  get  out  of  here  and 
build  a  smudge.  Where's  the  axe?" 

"  That's  the  question,"  said  Claude,  as  they  all  rose 
to  their  feet.  "  I'll  bet  five  dollars  they  are  all  at  the 
other  lake." 

A  few  moments'  search  convinced  them  that  this 
was  the  fact. 

"  Here's  a  nice  go,"  growled  Adams. 

"  A  sheer  piece  of  stupidity,"  echoed  St.  Clair. 

"  Well,  we  were  all  fools,  that  is  a  fact,"  assented 


Without  an  Axe. 


101 


Claude,  "  not  to  have  had  an  axe  brought  over.  The 
very  article  we  needed  the  most." 

"  I  should  have  supposed  the  guides  would  have 
thought  of  that,"  added  Le  Roy. 

"There's  no  use  in  crying  for  spilled  milk,"  re- 
marked Claude,  cheerfully;  "so  let's  all  skirmish 
around  and  find  what  dry  wood  we  can,  and  break  up 
enough  to  get  supper  with." 


102  Wild  Woods  Life. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  First  Meal  in  Camp.  —  Cooking  under  Difficulties.  —  Under  the 
Blankets.  —  An  Alarm  in  the  night.  —  What  was  It  ?  —  The  Attack 
of  the  Minges.  —  Good  Fishing.  —  Prospecting  for  a  Camp  Site.  — 
The  Hunting  Party.  —  What  they  found.  — A  Bear  in  a  Trap.  —  His 
Capture.  —  Bringing  him  to  Camp.  —  Arrival  of  more  Stores.  —  A 
Square  Meal.  —  Around  the  Camp-fire.  —  Bruin  and  the  Singing.  — 
Christening  the  Bear.  —  A  Good  Night's  Rest. 

THE  boys  had  no  intention  of  stopping  where  their 
tents  were  now  pitched  any  longer  than  was  necessary 
for  Norton  and  his  friends  to  get  over  the  balance  of 
their  things.  As  they  had  left  Boston  with  the  inten- 
tion of  being  away  until  the  first  of  October,  they  had 
brought  a  large  supply  of  provisions  and  ammunition 
with  them,  besides  plenty  of  thick  clothing,  and  a  pair 
of  woollen  blankets,  and  one  rubber  blanket  for  each 
member  of  the  party.  A  sheet-iron  stove,  mosquito 
netting,  a  table  that  folded  up  into  a  shape  four  feet 
square  and  six  inches  thick,  seven  folding  camp-stools, 
three  hammocks,  and  some  other  articles  that  were  not 
carried  by  camping  parties  in  general,  were  among 
their  outfit.  The  store  tent  was  A-shaped,  six  by  ten 
feet,  and  the  tent  in  which  they  were  to  live  and  sleep 
was  a  wall  tent,  twelve  feet  square,  with  perpendicular 
walls  five  feet  high,  giving  a  very  roomy  space  inside. 
Both  of  these  tents  the  boys  had  ordered  made  ex- 
pressly for  this  trip ;  and,  while  the  duck  from  which 
they  were  manufactured  was  light,  it  had  been  soaked 
in  oil  until  it  was  thoroughly  water-proof. 


Preparing  Supper.  105 

They  had  a  good  stock  of  canned  meats,  vegetables, 
fruits,  etc.,  besides  common  groceries;  for  they  were 
all  good  livers  at  home,  and  did  not  intend  to  be  de- 
pendent upon  fish  and  game  for  their  living.  As 
Claude  expressed  it,  "  they  were  not  going  into  the 
woods  to  starve."  They  had  brought  only  a  limited 
supply  of  such  stores  as  flour,  potatoes,  and  pork,  in- 
tending to  replenish  these  articles  from  some  of  the 
camps  in  the  vicinity  of  the  lake. 

"  Now,  boys,  start  a  fire,  will  you?"  said  Claude,  as 
they  all  threw  down  their  wood  a  short  distance  from 
the  tent,  "  and  I  will  see  what  I  can  find  for  supper." 

Upon  looking  over  what  things  had  been  brought 
across  the  carry,  Claude  found  that  no  baking-powder 
had  come  with  the  flour,  so  the  idea  of  making  bread 
of  any  kind  that  would  be  palatable  was  out  of  the 
question.  Le  Roy,  luckily,  had  filled  the  iron  pot  with 
hard-tack  before  starting,  and  thus  the  bread  could  be 
dispensed  with.  The  stove  had  not  come  over,  and  the 
absence  of  the  axes  was  a  chronic  thorn  in  Claude's  side. 

It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  he  rigged  a  crane  over 
the  fire,  on  which  to  suspend  the  kettle,  in  which  he 
boiled  the  potatoes  ;  but  he  managed  it  after  awhile. 
Cutting  several  slices  of  ham,  he  put  them  in  the  fry- 
ing-pan, and,  after  the  ham  was  cooked,  some  eggs ; 
and,  when  the  potatoes  had  boiled,  announced  that  sup- 
per was  ready,  St.  Clair,  in  the  meantime,  having  set 
the  table.  Phil  had  brought  all  the  tin  plates,  dippers, 
knives  and  forks  over,  so  that  they  could  eat  what 
they  had  to  eat  in  a  decent  way.  None  of  the  tea  or 
coffee  had  come,  but  a  pail  of  water  from  the  lake  sup- 
plied this  deficiency. 


106  Wild  Woods  Life. 

The  walk  had  given  the  boys  a  healthy  appetite,  and 
they  went  for  the  ham  and  eggs  and  hard-tack  as  if  they 
did  not  know  where  the  next  meal  was  coming  from. 

"  I  propose  we  have  some  trout  for  breakfast  in  the 
morning,"  said  Adams,  with  a  glance  at  Claude. 

"  All  right,  my  boy.  If  the  trout  are  caught  I  will 
cook  them.  I  think  it  would  be  a  good  idea,  myself." 

uHow  are  we  going  to  sleep  to-night?"  asked  Phil, 
who  had  been  investigating  before  suppe.r.  "  Only 
three  pairs  of  blankets  have  come  over." 

"  We  shall  have  to  do  the  best  we  can,"  replied 
Claude.  "  I  see  there  is  plenty  of  spruce  about  here, 
and  after  supper  we  shall  have  to  break  off  some  small 
boughs  and  spread  them  along  one  side  of  the  tent,  lay 
two  of  the  blankets  on  them,  and  put  the  others  over 
us.  It  is  going  to  be  a  pleasant  night,  and  not  very 
cold." 

While  Claude  and  St.  Clair  washed  up  the  dishes 
and  cleared  away  the  things,  the  rest  of  the  party 
gathered  boughs  for  their  bed. 

No  fire  was  built  out-of-doors  that  evening,  as  the 
boys  found  it  rather  difficult  to  get  fuel  without  an  axe. 

Before  dark  they  put  their  rods  together  for  fishing 
in  the  morning,  and  also  loaded  their  guns  and  rifles. 

Claude  appointed  St.  Clair  as  his  assistant  in  the 
morning,  and  Phil  and  Le  Roy  wood-gatherers,  while 
Adams,  Wingate,  and  Maynard  agreed  to  try  their  luck 
with  the  trout. 

Not  having  either  fire  or  lights,  the  party  went  to  bed 
early,  and  by  half-past  nine  were  all  asleep. 

Along  in  the  night  Claude  was  awakened  by  a  noise 
out-of-doors,  sounding  as  if  some  animal  was  around 


A  Night  Alarm.  107 

the  camp.  He  sprang  up  quickly,  and  groping  his 
way  to  the  table  picked  up  his  gun,  and  hastened  to  go 
out.  His  movements  awakened  St.  Clair  and  Phil, 
who  had  been  sleeping  either  side  of  him,  and  they 
called  out  to  learn  what  the  trouble  was. 

"Hist!"  replied  Claude.  "I  hear  some  animal 
out-doors,  and  am  going  to  see  what  it  is." 

His  two  friends  were  on  their  feet  in  a  moment  at 
this  report,  and  their  action  awoke  the  other  members 
of  the  party,  and  they  all  went  out  together.  It  was 
very  dark,  and  they  could  scarcely  distinguish  one  tree 
from  another. 

Keeping  quiet  for  a  few  moments  they  heard  a  rustling 
and  tracking  in  the  store  tent,  and  Claude  crept  care- 
fully up  to  it  and  looked  in.  As  he  lifted  up  the  flap  to 
see  what  was  there,  he  heard  a  noise  between  a  snort 
and  a  growl,  and  the  next  moment  a  large  animal 
rushed  by  him  into  the  middle  of  the  party,  completely 
upsetting  Maynard  and  Adams,  and  took  to  the  woods. 

Springing  by  and  beyond  his  friends  Claude  fired 
both  baiTels  of  his  gun,  which  were  loaded  with  buck- 
shot, in  the  direction  of  the  noise,  and  sang  out,  "  Take 
that,  with  my  compliments." 

' '  What  was  that,  —  an  elephant  ?  "  inquired  Maynard, 
as  he  picked  himself  up. 

"  I  thought  a  travelling  tornado  had  struck  me,"  said 
Adams,  who  had  fallen  upon  a  rock,  and  barked  his 
shins.  "  What  was  it,  anyway?  " 

"  I  think  it  was  a  bear,"  remarked  Wingate  ;  "  but 
it  was  so  confounded  dark  you  couldn't  see  anything." 

"That   is   my   opinion,    also,"    chimed  in   Claude; 


108  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"but  it  is  too  dark  to  determine  the  matter  to-night; 
let's  turn  in  again." 

"  So  I  say,"  added  Phil ;  "  this  night-air  is  chilly  ;  I 
begin  to  feel  cold  already." 

"  I  wonder  what  time  it  is?  "  queried  St.  Clair. 

Claude  scratched  a  match  and  looked  at  his  watch. 
"  Half-past  twelve.  Let's  get  to  bed  again." 

As  nothing  could  be  done  in  the  darkness  to  discover 
what  kind  of  an  animal  their  nocturnal  visitor  had 
been,  they  crawled  under  their  blankets  and  were  soon 
sound  asleep,  nothing  more  occurring  to  waken  them 
during  the  night. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  minges 
swarmed  into  the  tent,  and  in  a  few  moments  everybody 
was  wide  awake,  slapping,  rubbing,  and  growling. 
Sleep  any  longer  was  out  of  the  question,  and  the 
whole  party  turned  out. 

Taking  their  rods,  Adams,  Wingate,  and  Maynard 
launched  the  boat  and  went  off  fishing,  while  the 
others,  after  examining  the  ground,  to  see  what  it  was 
that  had  disturbed  them  in  the  night,  began  gathering 
wood  for  the  breakfast  fire.  It  did  not  require  a  great 
deal  of  search  to  convince  them  that  their  visitor  had 
been  a  bear,  as  in  one  or  two  places  the  tracks  of  its  feet 
were  clear  and  well  denned,  and  Claude  suggested  that 
as  soon  as  they  had  time  they  should  try  and  find  Mr. 
Bruin,  and  see  if  they  could  not  pay  him  for  the  scare 
he  had  given  them. 

The  fire  was  soon  lighted,  and  the  smoke  cleared  the 
minges  away  from  their  immediate  vicinity.  Some 
potatoes  were  peeled  and  sliced,  the  pork  tried  out,  and 


Successful  Fishermen.  109 

as  soon  as  the  fishermen  hove  in  sight  the  potatoes 
were  fried  and  the  hard-tack  placed  on  the  table. 

The  boys  had  been  highly  favored,  and  had  brought 
back  about  sixty  trout.  On  their  arrival  all  of  the 
party  took  hold  and  helped  dress  the  fish,  and  they 
were  soon  spluttering  in  the  frying-pan. 

The  breakfast  was  the  same  as  the  supper  the  night 
before,  with  the  exception  that  the  trout  and  fried 
potatoes  took  the  place  of  the  ham  and  eggs.  It  was 
about  six  o'clock  when  they  sat  down  to  breakfast,  and 
the  two  hours  they  had  been  up  had  given  them  a  relish 
for  anything  in  the  shape  of  eatables. 

"What  shall  we  do  this  forenoon,  fellows?"  asked 
St.  Clair,  as  he  paused  in  his  eating  a  moment. 

"Follow  up  that  bear  track  and  shoot  the  bear," 
answered  Maynard. 

"  Go  a-fishing,"  said  Adams,  whose  excellent  luck 
in  the  morning  had  given  him  strong  hopes  for  the 
future. 

"  What  time  do  you  expect  Norton  and  his  men, 
Claude?"  inquired  Phil. 

"  He  said  he  would  be  here  at  noon,  and  we  must  be 
on  hand  when  he  comes.  If  he  leaves  the  axes  behind 
this  time  I  shall  give  him  a  Dutch  blessing. 

"  I  hope  he'll  bring  coffee,  tea,  and  sugar,"  remarked 
Le  Roy,  who  had  missed  the  three  mentioned  articles 
very  much. 

"  We  don't  want  to  stay  here  any  longer  than  neces- 
sary," said  Claude,  "  and  we  had  better  look  out  a  per- 
manent camp  site,  or,  at  least,  a  spot  where  we  can  stay 
two  or  three  weeks,  and  move  our  things  to  it  to-day. 
After  we  clear  up  the  breakfast  things  I  will  take 


110  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Wingate  and  Phil,  and  we  will  row  up  to  the  inlet,  and 
select  a  suitable  place  far  a  camping-ground.  The  rest 
of  you  can  pick  up  a  little  more  wood,  enough  to  get 
dinner  with,  and  then  amuse  yourselves  as  you  please 
until  noon.  I  will  try  and  return  by  eleven  o'clock,  and 
have  dinner  at  twelve." 

No  one  objected  to  this  arrangement,  and  when  the 
camp-work  had  been  done,  Claude,  Wingate,  and  Phil 
started  in  the  boat  for  the  inlet.  They  landed  to  the 
west  of  it,  and,  after  prospecting  a  little,  found  a  good, 
level  place,  plenty  large  enough  for  both  tents,  that  had 
been  at  some  time  cleared,  but  which  was  now  partially 
overgrown  with  bushes.  Not  having  any  axe,  they  set 
to  work  with  their  hands,  and,  as  the  soil  was  light, 
soon  had  the  entire  crop  of  weeds  and  bushes  torn  up 
by  the  roots  and  thrown  into  a  pile  to  burn. 

Just  beyond  the  spot  they  had  cleared  to  set  their 
tents  on,  a  bright,  sparkling  brook  came  tumbling  down 
from  a  hill  behind  them  and  emptied  its  waters  into  the 
lake.  For  all  camp  purposes  this  was  as  good  as  a 
spring,  for  the  water  was  as  clear  as  crystal,  and  almost 
as  cold  as  ice,  while  it  was  filtered  over  a  bed  of  cobble- 
stones and  sand.  Their  clearing,  also,  was  only  about 
four  rods  from  the  shore,  and  commanded  a  view  of 
the  picturesque  islands  that  dot  the  surface  of  the  upper 
end  of  this  beautiful  lake.  A  little  to  the  south  of  their 
camping-ground  a  slight  undulation  of  the  lake-shore 
made  a  small  cove  ending  in  a  tiny  sand  beach,  — a  safe 
harbor  for  their  boats. 

The  three  boys  found  plenty  of  good  firewood  close 
to  their  camp  site,  and  several  large  pine  and  spruce 
trees  from  which  to  hang  their  hammocks. 


Selecting  a  Camping  Ground.  Ill 

"  I  think  this  is  the  boss  place  for  a  camp,"  remarked 
Phil,  as  having  done  all  the  work  they  could,  and  all 
the  prospecting  they  cared  for  at  present,  they  made 
their  way  to  the  "Fairy,"  and  embarked  for  the  return 
to  the  carry. 

"  Suits  me  to  a  T,"  added  Wingate. 

"  I  think  it  is  as  pretty  as  any  place  we  camped  in 
on  our  last  trip,"  said  Claude,  as  he  dipped  the  oars  in 
the  water  and  shot  the  light  boat  from  the  shore,  while 
Phil,  in  the  stern,  with  a  dextei'ous  stroke  of  the  paddle, 
turned  her  in  the  right  course. 

The  members  of  the  party  whom  Claude  and  his 
companions  had  left  behind  had  quite  a  spirited  discus- 
sion as  to  how  they  should  spend  the  forenoon,  after  the 
boat  had  left  them. 

Although  neither  of  them  cared  to  go  off  alone,  they 
each  made  different  propositions  as  to  what  they  should 
do.  Adams,  still  enthusiastic  over  his  morning's  suc- 
cess, spoke  earnestly  in  favor  of  fishing,  but  his  ardor 
dampened  a  little  when  Le  Roy  told  him  they  could  do 
nothing  where  they  were  then  without  a  boat.  May- 
nard,  who  was  especially  fond  of  field-sports,  said  there 
was  more  fun  in  beating  the  woods  for  partridges  than 
anything  else  ;  while  St.  Clair  and  Le  Roy,  with  an  am- 
bition to  distinguish  themselves,  coaxed  their  friends  to 
go  with  them  on  the  track  of  the  bear,  and  see  if  they 
could  not  shoot  it.  By  dint  of  strong  argument  they 
brought  the  others  over  to  their  way  of  thinking,  and 
taking  their  guns  and  rifles  loaded,  with  a  few  extra 
cartridges,  they  picked  up  the  trail  of  the  bear  and  fol- 
lowed it  as  fast  as  they  could  trace  it. 

Old  Bruin's  track  led  them  south,  according  to  May- 


112  Wild  Woods  Life. 

nard's  compass,  along  the  side  of  a  large  bill  that  swept 
back  from  the  lake.  At  times  it  was  very  distinct,  and 
at  others  completely  obliterated,  causing  them  several 
minutes  of  careful  search  before  they  found  it. 

After  an  hour's  travel,  however,  the  trail  suddenly 
became  broader  and  plainer,  and  looked  altogether  dif- 
ferent from  what  it  had  at  first,  leaving  the  boys  at  a 
loss  to  account  for  the  sudden  change  in  its  appearance. 
But  having  no  difficulty  now  in  following  it  at  a  rapid 
pace,  a  half-hour's  walking  enabled  them  to  solve  the 
mystery,  as,  swinging  around  a  huge  boulder  that  ap- 
peared in  their  way,  they  came  suddenly  upon  Bruin, 
and  found  that  one  of  his  hind  feet  had  been  caught  in  a 
trap,  and  that  he  had  been  dragging  that,  as  well  as  the 
clog,  with  him  the  entire  distance  from  where  the  trail 
had  first  broadened.  To  increase  his  misfortune  the 
trap  had  caught  against  a  maple  about  six  inches 
through,  and,  by  accident,  probably,  the  bear  had  made 
a  turn  around  the  tree  with  the  chain  attached  to  the 
trap,  and  was  now  a  prisoner  in  two  ways.  As  he 
caught  sight  of  the  boys  he  made  a  movement  to  run, 
but  the  chain  and  trap  held  him  fast,  and  he  fell  over, 
growling  and  showing  his  teeth  as  he  did  so. 

Le  Roy  raised  his  rifle,  and  a  second  later  Bruin 
would  have  had  a  bullet  in  him,  but  Maynard,  catching 
his  arm,  cried,  "Don't  shoot!  I  believe  we  can  capture 
him  alive." 

This  remark,  while  creating  a  sensation  among  his 
friends,  was  received  with  sarcastic  credulity. 

"  Capture  your  grandmother  !  "  cried  St.  Clair,  laugh- 
ing. "Why  don't  you  go  up  and  shake  hands  with 
him  ?  " 


An  Unfortunate  Bear.  113 

"Or,"  suggested  Adams,  "you  might  put  a  bit  in 
his  mouth  and  ride  him  back  to  camp." 

"  Foster  could  if  he  was  here,"  said  Le  Roy,  with  a 
chuckle,  alluding  to  an  incident  in  their  former  trip. 

"Well,  don't  be  in  a  hurry  to  shoot  him,"  urged 
Maynard,  "he  is  having  a  pretty  hard  time  of  it  as 
it  is." 

"Kill  him,  and  put  him  out  of  his  misery,  I  say," 
and  St.  Clair  cocked  both  barrels  of  his  gun. 

"  He  isn't  hurt  any,"  protested  Maynard  ;  "a  black 
bear  is  as  tough  as  a  boiled  owl.  If  we  can  get  him  to 
camp,  we'll  have  no  end  of  fun' with  him." 

"  There's  something  in  that,"  assented  Adams. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  subject  of  their  debate  kept 
making  frantic  but  futile  efforts  to  clear  himself,  and 
seemed  entirely  regardless  of  the  jury  who  were  deter- 
mining his  life  or  death.  He  was  a  very  large  animal, 
would  weigh  at  least  three  hundred,  and  seemed  any- 
thing but  gentle.  After  talking  over  several  different 
plans  of  getting  their  captive  to  the  camp,  it  was 
decided  that  Maynard  should  return  for  the  other  three 
members  of  the  party,  and  bring  back  with  him  a 
blanket  and  a  coil  of  three-quarter-inch  rope  about  fifty 
feet  long  that  was  in  the  store-tent,  while  St.  Clair, 
Adams,  and  Le  Roy  should  stay  by  the  bear  and  frus- 
trate any  efforts  he  might  make  for  escape. 

Accordingly,  Maynard,  who  was  a  fast  walker, 
started  for  camp  at  as  rapid  a  pace  as  the  nature  of  the 
ground  would  permit,  and  reached  the  tents  just  as 
Claude  and  his  companions  came  up  from  the  boat.  In 
a  few  hurried  words  he  told  the  boys  of  the  bear's 
predicament  and  his  plans  for  getting  the  animal  to 


114  Wild  Woods  Life. 

camp  alive.  His  friends  were  interested  and  excited  at 
his  story,  and,  getting  the  blanket  and  the  rope,  they 
started  post-haste  to  return  to  Bruin,  after  Claude  had 
written  a  note,  and  pinned  it  to  a  tree  asking  Norton  if 
he  came  during  their  absence  to  await  their  return. 

As  they  hurried  along  Claude  charged  them  to  say 
nothing  to  Norton  and  his  friends  about  the  bear,  as 
the  trap  might  belong  to  them,  and  he  thought  they 
would  claim  the  bear  and  kill  it  if  they  knew  of  its 
capture,  as  the  skin  would  be  worth  fifteen  or  twenty 
dollars,  to  say  nothing  of  the  bounty. 

Urged  on  by  their  excitement,  and  stimulated  by  a 
prospect  of  sport,  the  boys  covered  the  space  of  forest 
between  the  camp  and  the  bear  in  an  incredible  short 
period  of  time,  and,  reaching  St.  Clair,  Adams,  and 
Le  Roy,  who  anxiously  awaited  them,  sat  down  a  few 
moments  to  rest. 

"  Has — he — been — quiet — since — I — left?"  inquired 
Maynard,  puffing  out  his  words  like  a  steam-engine 
from  the  force  of  his  exertions. 

"  He's  behaved  barely  well,"  answered  Adams,  forc- 
ing a  joke. 

"How  are  we  going  to  manage  now?"  asked  St. 
Clair,  looking  at  Maynard. 

"  I'll  show  you,"  returned  his  friend  as  he  took  the 
rope  and  made  a  large  slip-noose  at  one  end,  and  then, 
with  a  quick  fling,  threw  it  over  the  bear's  head,  and 
with  a  pull  tightened  it  securely  around  his  neck. 
"Now  take  hold  and  pull,  fellows,  and  we'll  choke  a 
little  of  the  mischief  out  of  him  ;  "  and,  suiting  the 
action  to  his  words,  he  pulled  away  on  the  rope,  aided 
by  the  others,  until  the  bear  fell  over  on  his  side,  his 


Freeing  Bruin  from  the  Trap.  115 

tongue  lolling  from  his  mouth.  "Now,  Adams,  you 
and  St.  Clair  hold  the  line  tight,  so  he  can't  recover 
his  breath,  and  we'll  try  and  get  the  trap  off  of  him." 

Maynard  then  folded  the  blanket  twice,  and  threw  it 
over  the  bear's  feet,  as  some  protection  from  his  claws, 
and  asked  Wingate  and  Phil  to  lay  over  Bruin  to  keep 
him  down. 

"  I  don't  want  any  part  of  that  job,"  said  Phil,  look- 
ing askance  at  the  prostrate  animal. 

"Do  you  see  anything  green  in  the  corner  of  my 
eye  ?  "  inquired  Wingate,  with  a  sly  wink  at  the  rest 
of  his  friends,  which  brought  forth  a  roar  of  laughter. 

"What  are  you  afraid  of?"  queried  Maynard,  con- 
temptuously. "  The  bear  can't  move  as  long  as  St. 
Clair  and  Adams  hold  the  rope ;  he's  half  choked 
now.  I'll  be  one  to  lay  on  him,  if  either  of  you'll  join 
me,  and  the  other  three  of  you  can  spring  the  trap, 
only  we  must  not  be  all  day  about  it." 

The  cool  manner  in  which  Maynard  spoke  quieted, 
if  it  did  not  remove,  the  fears  of  Phil  and  Wingate,  and 
they  piled  on  top  of  the  fallen  bear.  Then  Maynard, 
Le  Roy,  and  Claude  sprang  the  trap,  it  taking  every 
ounce  of  strength  they  had  to  do  it.  As  soon  as  May- 
nard had  cleared  away  the  trap  they  examined  the 
bear's  leg  and  foot,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  no 
bones  were  broken,  although  the  skin  was  torn  off 
some  and  the  flesh  badly  lacerated. 

"  He'll  be  all  right  in  a  week  or  two,"  said  Claude. 
"  I  owned  a  dog  once  who  had  his  leg  all  chawed  up 
in  a  fight,  but  no  bones  were  broken,  and  his  leg  all 
healed  up  in  less  than  a  month,  and  was  as  good  as  the 
others.  But  how  shall  we  get  him  to  camp  ?  " 


116  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  Lead  him,"  replied  Maynard  as  he  folded  up  the 
blanket,  and  passed  it  to  Phil  to  carry.  "  Slack  up  the 
line  a  little,  fellows,  and  let  him  come  to,"  and  the 
director-general  of  the  scrimmage  put  his  hand  on  the 
knot  and  slackened  it  a  little,  not,  however,  without 
keeping  a  wary  eye  on  the  bear. 

"What  next?  "  inquired  Adams. 

"  All  hands  take  hold  of  the  rope,  and  let  Phil  carry 
the  blanket." 

"  That  will  suit  me  as  well  as  a  custom-made  over- 
coat," and  Phil,  who  hadn't  much  faith  in  leading 
bears,  instantly  put  several  rods  between  himself  and 
his  friends. 

"  Get  clear  to  the  end  of  the  rope,  boys,"  directed 
Maynard,  "  and  if  he  makes  a  dash  for  us  when  he 
recovers  his  senses,  keep  out  of  his  way  ;  but  don't  give 
up  the  ship  ;  in  other  woixls,  hang  to  the  rope.  If  he 
tries  to  run  away  from  us  we  must  shoot  him,  and  if 
our  united  strength  won't  hold  him,  we'll  take  a  turn 
around  a  tree  with  the  rope." 

The  bear  now  showed  signs  of  returning  conscious- 
ness, and  soon  regained  his  feet.  He  seemed  to  know, 
in  a  moment,  that  the  unwieldly  burden  he  had  been 
carrying  was  removed,  for,  without  paying  the  slightest 
attention  to  the  boys,  he  craned  his  head  around,  and 
began  licking  his  wounded  leg. 

"  Heave  ahead,  fellows  !  he's  all  right ;  let  him  do  his 
doctoring  later  in  the  day,"  and  Maynard  gave  a  pull  on 
the  rope. 

This  did  not  suit  Bruin  at  all,  and  he  held  back  like 
a  baulky  horse,  biting  savagely  at  the  rope,  and  growl- 
ing discontentedly. 


Better  than  a  Circus.  117 

"  Yank  him  along,  fellows  !  It's  three  miles  to  camp, 
and  I'm  getting  hungry,"  said  Maynard,  urging  his 
friends  onward. 

I  doubt  if  ever  a  bear  was  in  such  a  fix  before.  At 
least  this  one  was  not,  and  he  showed  his  disapproba- 
tion of  the  proceedings  by  every  means  in  his  power. 
Snarling  and  growling  he  would  rush  at  the  boys, 
who  at  such  times  would  by  a  sudden  turn  fling  him 
down,  and  then  he  would  hang  back  for  dear  life,  until 
forced  to  proceed  to  keep  from  choking.  All  this  time 
the  boys,  in  spite  of  their  fears  that  he  might  get  the 
best  of  them  and  injure  some  one  of  the  party,  were 
convulsed  with  laughter,  and  perpetrated  some  horrible 
puns  at  Bruin's  expense,  who,  could  he  have  understood 
them,  would  have  lost  all  courage  to  have  attempted 
further  opposition. 

Phil,  who  was  well  in  advance,  enjoyed  the  scene 
hugely,  as  he  thought  that,  whatever  trouble  his  friends 
might  get  into,  his  skin  was  safe.  Although  I  have  no 
doubt  that,  if  they  had  called  on  him  for  assistance,  he 
would  have  been  prompt  to  render  it.  But  this  was 
his  first  trip  in  the  woods,  and  he  did  not  feel  as  much 
at  home  with  the  surroundings  as  the  other  members  of 
the  party. 

"By  Jove!"  cried  Claude,  tugging  at  the  rope,  as 
the  sweat  rolled  down  his  face,  "  this  is  better  than  a 
circus.  How  my  father  would  laugh  if  he  could  see 
us  for  a  moment !  " 

"Oh,  hang  your  father !  Now,  I  don't  mean  that; 
but  let's  get  along,  I  am  half-starved,"  and  Adams 
tugged  viciously  at  the  rope. 

"  We  are  getting  along  as  fast  as  we  can,"  declared 


118  Wild  Woods  Life, 

Maynard,  as  the  bear  made  another  rush  for  them, 
compelling  them  to  yank  him  over,  to  teach  him  better 
manners. 

Before  the  boys  reached  camp  their  fun  had  degen- 
erated into  the  hardest  kind  of  work,  which,  added  to 
the  excitement  they  had  undergone,  and  the  length  of 
time  they  had  been  without  food,  left  them  about  used 
up,  and  no  one  was  sorry  when  they  had  tied  Bruin  to 
a  large  spruce,  a  short  distance  from,  and  in  sight  of, 
the  tent,  and  they  could  take  time  to  sit  down  and 
rest. 

Norton  and  his  friends  had  been  there,  and  Claude 
found  in  place  of  his  note  another,  which  read : 
*'  Waited  as  long  as  we  could.  Will  see  you  to- 
morrow." 

"  They  brought  the  boats,"  remarked  Maynard  ;  "  I 
can  see  them  down  at  the  shore." 

"  Bother  the  boats !  I  wonder  if  they  brought  an 
axe  ?  "  queried  Claude,  as  he  arose  and  walked  to  the 
store-tent. 

Much  to  his  joy  he  found  the  two  axes  and  hatchet, 
and  tea,  coffee,  sugar,  baking-powder,  salt,  matches, 
and  a  lantern. 

"  They  skipped  the  blankets,"  he  said  to  himself; 
"  but  no  matter,  we  can  get  along  one  more  night  well 
enough." 

"What  did  you  find?  anything  we  need?"  asked 
Phil. 

"  Here  are  the  axes,  which  we  needed  most,"  and 
Claude  enumerated  the  other  things. 

"  Coffee  !  "  yelled  Adams,  smacking  his  lips.  "  Let's 
have  some  for  dinner,  or  supper  I  guess  we  had  better 


A   Good  Square  Meal.  119 

call  it,"  glancing  at  his  watch,  and  finding  that  it  was 
after  three  o'clock. 

The  bear,  which  had  been  busy  lapping  his  leg,  now 
turned  his  attention  to  the  rope  with  which  he  was 
tied,  and  tried  to  chew  it  off. 

Maynard,  however,  had  one  eye  on  him,  and,  seizing 
a  pole  that  lay  on  the  ground  handy,  he  gave  Bruin  a 
poke  in  the  ribs  that  brought  forth  a  growl,  but  which 
stopped  his  tampering  with  the  rope. 

"  Now,  fellows,  let's  proceed  to  business,"  said 
Claude.  "  If  you  are  all  as  hungry  as  I  am,  you  won't 
care  how  soon  you  eat.  Phil,  get  a  pail  of  water  ; 
Maynard,  start  a  fire  ;  Le  Roy,  wash  a  dozen  potatoes, 
and  put  them  in  the  iron  pot,  and  put  two  quarts  of 
water  in  it ;  St.  Clair,  come  with  me  ;  take  the  other 
axe,  and  we'll  cut  two  crotched  sticks  and  a  straight  one, 
and  put  them  in  place,  so  we  can  hang  the  potatoes 
over  the  fire." 

Claude  and  St.  Clair  soon  returned  and  drove  down 
the  stakes  over  the  fire  about  five  feet  apart,  and  placed 
the  straight  one  on  top.  Then,  taking  an  iron  rod  that 
they  had  brought  with  them  for  that  purpose,  turned  up  at 
each  end,  he  put  one  end  on  the  horizontal  stick,  and 
hung  the  potatoes  to  the  other,  and  the  water  was  soon 
boiling. 

Although  their  stove  had  not  been  brought  over,  nor 
their  cake-board,  Claude  contrived  to  make  some  bis- 
cuit, which  were  quite  an  improvement  over  the  hard- 
tack. While  he  was  making  the  biscuit  and  coffee,  St. 
Clair  fried  the  trout,  and,  at  quarter  past  four,  the  half- 
famished  party  sat  down  to  a  "  good  square  meal,"  as 
Phil  expressed  it,  and,  with  joke  and  laughter,  they  kept 
their  places  at  the  table  until  nearly  five  o'clock. 


120  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"What  are  you  going  to  give  us  for  supper,  Claude?" 
asked  Adams,  with  a  grin,  as  he  arose  from  the  table  as 
full  as  a  tick. 

"  You  say  supper  to  me,"  laughingly  replied  Claude, 
"  and  I'll  set  the  bear  on  you." 

"  Look  here,  fellows,  we  ought  to  feed  the  brute," 
said  Phil.  "  I  wonder  what  the  skunk  will  eat." 

"  Fish,"  replied  Claude.  "  Were  there  any  left,  St. 
Glair  ?  " 

"  Eight,  I  believe." 

"  Give  them  to  the  old  buffer,  then,"  suggested  May- 
nard,  and  after  he  eats  them  I'll  get  a  pail  of  water,  and 
we'll  see  if  he's  thirsty." 

"  Feed  him  yourself.  I  don't  care  to  go  fooling 
around  him." 

"  Well,  I  can,  if  you  are  afraid  of  him,"  and  May- 
nard  went  for  the  fish,  and  brought  them  up  near  the 
bear,  and  laid  them  on  the  ground,  then,  getting  a  pail 
of  water  from  the  lake,  sat  that  down  near  him. 

"What  are  you  going  to  call  that  bear,  Frank," 
asked  Claude,  as  the  boys  stood  watching  him  eat  the 
fish. 

"  I  don't  know.     What  do  the  rest  of  you  say?" 

"  Call  him  Squeezer,"  suggested  Adams,  with  a 
chuckle;  "  he'll  make  his  name  appropriate  if  you  give 
him  a  chance." 

"  Call  him  Growler,"  added  St.  Clair  ;  "  he's  growl- 
ing half  his  time." 

"  Call  him  Cuffee,"put  in  Le  Roy  ;  "  he's  as  black  as 
a  nigger." 

"  Call  him  too  late  for  breakfast,"  said  Phil,  grinning, 
as  if  he  had  said  something  funny. 


Naming  the  Bear.  121 

"  That's  what  we'll  call  you,  Phil,"  returned  Adams, 
as  he  gave  him  a  push  towards  the  bear. 

Phil  jumped  back  lively,  and  made  a  rush  for  Adams, 
who  eluded  him  by  dodging  about  among  the  rest  of  the 
party,  until  St.  Clair  accidentally  ( ?)  stuck  out  his 
foot,  and  down  went  Adams,  with  Phil  on  top  of 
him. 

"  What  do  you  say  to  calling  him  Napoleon?"  Or 
we  might  make  it  Nap,  for  short,"  and  Maynard 
glanced  at  Claude,  as  if  he  had  settled  the  matter. 

"I  suppose  that  will  do,"  replied  Claude.  "You 
know  Shakespeare  says,  'What's  in  a  name?  A  rose 
by  any  other  name  would  smell  as  sweet,'  etc.  And 
then  Napoleon  was  both  a  bear  and  a  bull  at  times, 
so  I  think  that  will  answer  very  well." 

"  Then  Napoleon,  or  Nap,  it  shall  be,"  asserted 
Maynard. 

"  Half-past  five,"  remarked  Claude,  glancing  at  his 
watch.  "  We  have  loafed  long  enough.  Come,  St. 
Clair,  let's  clear  up  and  wash  the  dishes.  Wingate, 
you  and  Maynard  cut  up  some  wood,  and  Le  Roy, 
Adams,  and  Phil,  pick  out  such  things  as  we  shall  not 
need  here  to-night  and  in  the  morning,  and  load  them 
into  one  of  the  boats,  and  take  them  up  to  the  other 
camping-ground.  You  will  have  just  about  time 
to  get  up  there  and  back  with  one  load  before  dark. 
Take  one  of  the  rubber  blankets  along  with  you  to 
cover  the  stuff  up  with,  and  then  if  we  have  a  shower  in 
the  night  it  won't  get  wet." 

The  boys  now  busied  themselves  about  their  separate 
tasks  ;  but  while  Maynard  did  his  share  toward  getting 
the  wood,  he  kept  an  eye  on  Nap,  to  see  that  he  did 


122  Wild  Woods  Life. 

not  free  himself  from  his  bonds.  The  bear,  however, 
seemed  to  be  sleeping  after  his  meal,  and  gave  no 
trouble. 

After  Claude  and  St.  Clair  had  washed  and  cleared 
up  the  dishes  they  assisted  Wingate  and  Maynard  in 
procuring  fuel,  and  at  dusk  had  all  that  was  necessary 
for  use  during  the  time  they  would  be  obliged  to  stay  in 
their  present  quarters.  Then  they  built  a  large  camp- 
fire,  around  which  to  sit  during  the  evening,  and  just  as 
it  was  fairly  ablaze  the  other  boys  landed  from  the  boat 
and  came  up  and  joined  them. 

"Who's  going  fishing  with  me  in  the  morning?" 
queried  Adams,  as  the  party  disposed  themselves 
around  the  camp-fire  in  whatever  attitude  best  suited 
them. 

"  I'm  your  man,"  replied  Phil,  and  Wingate  and 
Le  Roy  both  signified  their  willingness  to  accompany 
him. 

"You  had  better  take  two  boats,  then,"  suggested 
Claude,  and  added  with  a  smile,  "You  know  we  have 
another  boarder  now.  Nap  will  stow  away  piles  of 
fish." 

"Nap  be  hanged!"  exclaimed  Adams.  "Who's 
going  to  catch  trout  for  him  every  day  ?  I  don't  mean 
to,  at  any  rate." 

"  He'll  eat  chub  as  quick  as  he  will  trout,"  said  May- 
nard, u  and  there's  plenty  of  them  in  the  lake.  Save 
what  chub  you  catch  for  him,  and  keep  the  trout  for 
ourselves." 

"I'll  bet  that  bear  will  eat  swill,"  added  Claude. 
"  Anyhow,  I'll  try  him  on  it  to-morrow." 

"  Let's  have  a  song,  fellows  ;  we  haven't  had  a  good 


Nap  shows  a  Taste  for  Music.  123 

sing  for  a  week,"  and  Phil  gave  the  fire  a  poke,  and 
threw  on  several  large  sticks  of  white-birch,  that  sent 
the  sparks  dancing  merrily  into  the  air. 

"What -shall  it  be?  I'm  ready  for  anything,"  and 
Claude  glanced  around  the  circle  of  fire-lit  faces  for 
an  expression  of  opinion. 

"'  Way  down  upon  the  Suwannee  River,'"  replied 
Adams,  beginning  to  sing,  and  the  others  joined  in 
with  him. 

The  ice  once  broken,  song  followed  song  in  rapid 
succession,  and  just  as  they  had  concluded  "  Home, 
Sweet  Home,"  Maynard  exclaimed,  suddenly,  "  Look 
at  Nap  !  What  in  thunder  is  the  old  sinner  up  to  ?  " 

The  boys  all  glanced  at  the  bear,  and  then  gave  a 
universal  shout  of  laughter.  The  animal  had  crawled 
as  near  them  as  his  rope  would  allow,  and,  seated  up- 
right on  his  haunches,  had  one  ear  turned  toward 
them,  his  head  slightly  cocked  over,  and  had  been 
apparently  listening  to  the  singing  with  a  great  deal 
of  enjoyment.  The  glare  of  the  flames  brought  his 
black  body  out  in  strong  relief  against  the  forest  behind 
him,  and  his  little  brown  eyes  twinkled  like  stars. 

"Now,  that's  what  I  call  an  appreciative  audience," 
said  Phil,  almost  choking  with  laughter,  as  the  bear, 
now  that  the  singing  had  ceased,  came  down  on  four 
feet,  and,  drawing  nearer  the  tree,  stretched  out  on  the 
ground  like  a  large  dog  contemplating  a  snooze. 

"  'Music  hath  charms  to  soothe  the  savage  breast,'" 
quoted  Claude,  recovering  from  his  fit  of  laughter. 

"  Better  make  it '  beast'  this  time,"  suggested  Adams, 
"it  will  suit  the  case  better,"  and  again  their  laughter 
echoed  through  the  woods,  causing  the  birds  to  flutter, 


124  Wild  Woods  Life. 

while  an  owl,  disturbed  from  his  meditations,  sent  forth 
his  peculiar  note,  as  if  in  remonstrance  of  such  gayety 
after  dark. 

-  "If  we  only  had  a  fiddle  now  we  could  teach 
that  bear  to  dance  ; "  and  Maynard  hove  another  stick 
on  the  fire,  glancing  at  his  watch  by  the  increased 
flame,  and  announced  to  his  companions  that  it  was  ten 
o'clock. 

"  Then  I  am  going  to  turn  in,"  and  Claude  arose, 
stretching  himself;  but,  suddenly  turning  to  Maynard, 
said,  "  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  Nap?  Nobody 
is  anxious  to  watch  him  all  night,  and  he  will  chew 
that  rope  ofFand  get  away  before  morning." 

"  I  can  fix  him,"  returned  Maynard,  "  if  you  will  all 
help  me,"  and,  going  carefully  to  the  tree,  he  succeeded 
after  a  few  moments  in  unfastening  the  rope  with  which 
the  bear  was  tied,  and  threw  the  loose  end  over  a  large 
limb  of  the  spruce,  about  ten  feet  from  the  ground. 
"  Now  give  us  a  pull !  " 

"  What  the  dickens  are  you  going  to  do  now,  —  hang 
him?"  queried  Claude,  as  the  boys,  pulling  away  on 
the  rope,  lifted  the  forefeet  of  the  bear  off  the  ground. 

"  Not  much.  Only  going  to  choke  him,  so  I  can 
muzzle  him  safely.  Up  with  him  a  little  higher ; "  and 
the  boys,  obeying  Maynard's  order,  hoisted  Bruin  into  the 
air  till  his  hind  toes  barely  touched  the  ground.  Then 
Maynard,  whipping  a  couple  of  pieces  of  marline  out  of 
his  pocket,  tied  the  forefeet  of  Nap  together  with  one 
while  he  securely  muzzled  him  with  the  other,  so  that 
it  would  be  an  utter  impossibility  for  the  captive  animal 
to  open  his  mouth  until  the  line  was  taken  off".  "  Now 
let  him  down,  boys;"  and,  lowering  away  the  line,  the 


Securing  Nap  for  the  Night.  125 

bear  reached  the  ground  and  fell  over  on  his  side. 
Maynard  loosened  the  rope  around  his  neck,  and 
secured  the  end  to  the  tree ;  and  then  they  left  Bruin  to 
regain  his  wind  at  his  leisure. 

"  You  would  make  a  good  showman,  Maynard  ;  you 
had  better  start  a  menagerie,  when  we  get  home,"  said 
Claude,  laughing  at  the  way  Maynard  had  planned  to 
secure  the  bear  during  the  night. 

"I  will,"  replied  his  friend,  with  a  smile,  "and 
advertise  you  and  the  rest  of  the  boys  as  '  Wild  Hotten- 
tots,' a  la  Barnum." 

"  Dry  up  with  your  show  business,  and  let's  turn  in, 
I  am  getting  sleepy.  A  man  who  is  going  to  get  up  at 
four  o'clock  to  go  fishing  does  not  want  to  sit  up  all 
night ;  "  and  Adams  started  for  the  tent  followed  by  the 
others,  and  soon  all  were  quiet  with  the  exception  of 
Nap,  who,  having  regained  his  senses,  seemed  indignant 
at  the  shabby  trick  that  had  been  played  on  him,  if  one 
could  judge  from  his  actions,  for  he  scratched  and 
rolled,  and  tore  around,  all  the  time  keeping  up  a 
subdued  growling.  But  he  soon  found  that  Maynard's 
knots  were  not  to  be  untied  by  any  means  at  his  com- 
mand, and,  becoming  resigned  like  the  Dutchman's  wife, 
"  who  had  to  be,"  he  soon  became  quiet. 


126  Wild  Woods  Life, 


CHAPTER  V. 

Early  Fishing.  —  Moving  Camp.  —  Getting  to  Rights.  —  An  Inquisi- 
tive Guide.  —  Feeding  the  Bear.  —  A  Trial  at  Jack  Shooting.  — 
Baking  Beans.  —  Berrying.  —  A  Caribou.  —  An  Unsuccessful  Chase. 
—  A  Visit  to  Flint's  Camp.  —  Potatoes  and  Chains.  — Teaching  the 
Bear.  —  A  Sunday  Dinner.  —  Wild  Lightning.  —  Looking  for  a 
Beaver  Dam.  —  The  Eagle's  Nest.  —  The  Big  Pine.  —  Back  to 
Camp. 

As  some  of  the  mosquito-netting  had  been  brought 
over  during  the  day,  the  boys  spread  a  piece  over  them 
as  a  protection  in  case  they  had  another  visit  from  the 
minges.  But  nothing  interfered  with  their  slumbers, 
and,  a  little  after  four,  Adams  awoke,  and,  punching 
Phil,  who  in  turn  punched  Wingate  and  Le  Roy,  the 
quartette  of  fishermen  arose,  and  went  off*  to  try  their 
luck. 

At  five,  Claude,  St.  Clair,  and  Maynard  turned  out, 
and,  as  soon  as  Frank  had  made  his  toilet,  he  took  a  look 
at  Nap,  and  found  him  awake.  Calling  to  his  friends, 
the  bear  was  hoisted  up  again,  and  relieved  of  his 
muzzle,  and  the  rope  taken  off  of  his  feet.  Then  he 
was  lowered  down  again,  and  some  ten  feet  of  slack- 
line  given  him,  so  he  could  take  a  little  exercise  if  he 
chose.  While  he  was  partly  unconscious,  the  boys 
looked  at  his  wounded  leg,  and  found  it  was  doing  well. 
Then,  leaving  him  to  his  own  reflections,  they  built  a 
fire,  and  proceeded  to  get  breakfast,  doing  all  they  could 


Successful  Fishermen.  129 

until  the  return  of  the  fishermen.  While  waiting  for 
them,  Claude  and  his  assistants  folded  up  the  blankets, 
and  took  down  the  store-tent,  packing  them  up  ready 
for  removal. 

By  the  time  they  had  accomplished  this  work  the 
absent  members  of  the  party  returned,  bringing  seventy- 
five  trout,  weighing  on  the  average  from  a  quarter  to 
three-quarters  of  a  pound  each,  and  fifty-nine  chub. 
Half  of  the  chub  were  given  to  Nap  at  once,  and  the 
rest  put  away  for  his  dinner,  while  the  trout,  under  the 
skilful  hands  of  Claude  and  St.  Clair,  were  soon 
cooked  to  a  crispy  brown,  and  were  smoking  on  the 
table.  The  boys  then  sat  down  to  breakfast,  and  Phil 
told  Claude  that  they  saw  a  deer  come  down  to  the 
water,  near  where  they  were  fishing.  "  And  I  think," 
said  Adams,  "  that  he  intended  to  swim  across  the 
lake.  But  he  saw  us,  and  put  back  into  the  woods  as 
if  a  pack  of  wolves  were  at  his  heels." 

"  There  is  game  enough  around  here,  no  doubt," 
remarked  Claude,  "  if  we  only  have  the  good  luck  to 
find  it." 

"  You  must  hunt  for  it  if  you  want  it,"  added  Win- 
gate,  sententiously. 

"  Yes,"  laughed  Phil,  with  a  wink  at  Claude ;  "  Ned 
Norton  told  me  it  was  always  good  hunting  up  here." 

"That  meafls,  I  suppose,"  suggested  St.  Clair, 
"  that  greenhorns  like  us  can  hunt  all  day,  and  find 
nothing  in  the  shape  of  game." 

"  Right  you  are,  my  boy,"  returned  Le  Roy, 
smiling. 

"  How  shall  we  get  Nap  up  to  the  new  camp?" 
inquired  Adams,  casting  a  glance  at  the  bear,  who, 


130  Wild  Woods  Life. 

having  finished  his  chub,  was  now  diligently  engaged 
in  lapping  his  wounded  leg. 

"Tow  him  up  behind  one  of  the  boats,  and  let  him 
swim,"  said  Phil,  jokingly. 

"  Not  much  !  "  exclaimed  Claude,  "he  would  capsize 
the  boat.  We  must  lead  him  up  through  the  woods, 
and  we  must  get  him  away,  too,  before  Norton  comes.'' 

*'  Then  I  move  he  be  muzzled  again,"  put  in  Win- 
gate  ;  "  his  teeth  are  in  pretty  good  order,  I  have  noticed, 
and  I  don't  want  him  to  try  them  on  me." 

The  morning  meal  over,  the  boys  began  work  with  a 
will.  The  living-tent  was  taken  down  and  folded,  the 
table  packed  up,  and  the  goods  at  the  camp  equally 
divided  among  the  three  boats.  Claude  directed  St. 
Clair,  Wingate,  and  Phil  to  row  the  boats  up  to  the 
camp-ground,  while  the  rest  of  the  party  went  through 
the  woods,  following  the  lake  shore,  with  Nap. 

As  soon  as  the  boats  had  left,  Maynard  and  his  three 
companions  choked  and  muzzled  Nap,  and  started  with 
him  through  the  woods.  To  guard  against  any  trouble, 
Claude  took  his  gun  and  Frank  his  rifle ;  but  Nap  fol- 
lowed much  better  than  he  had  the  day  before,  and  the 
party  were  only  two  hours  in  making  the  distance. 
When  they  reached  the  camp-ground  they  found  the 
boats  already  unloaded,  and  the  things  piled  together 
near  the  site  selected  for  pitching  the*  tents.  These 
were  at  once  placed  in  position,  the  table  set  up,  and 
the  supplies  put  away  in  the  store-tent,  while  the 
blankets  were  spread  about  to  air.  Nap  was  unmuzzled 
then  and  secured  to  a  maple  in  the  immediate  vicinity, 
and,  the  party,  at  Claude's  request,  accompanied  him  a 
short  distance  away  to  where  some  good-sized  cedars 


An  Inquisitive  Guide.  131 

grew,  and,  hacking  these  down,  —  for  all  the  boys  were 
poor  choppers,  —  they  managed  to  split  them  up  length- 
way,  and  secured  enough  pieces  from  six  to  ten  inches 
wide  and  seven  feet  long  to  lay  in  the  tent  where  they 
were  to  sleep.  These  splits  were  then  spread  to  the 
depth  of  three  inches  with  cedar  boughs,  and  over  these 
three  of  their  rubber-blankets  were  spread,  topped  by 
part  of  the  woollen  ones,  thus  giving  them  a  soft  and 
fragrant  bed.  By  the  time  they  had  done  this  it  was 
half-past  eleven,  and  Claude  said  he  must  go  back  to 
the  carry  to  meet  Norton. 

He  ordered  St.  Clair  to  make  preparations  for  dinner, 
and  detailed  Maynard  and  Adams  to  assist  him,  while, 
accompanied  by  the  other  three  boys,  he  took  the 
"  Fairy  "  and  "  Water  Witch,"  and  rowed  back  to  the 
carry.  They  reached  there  just  as  the  three  guides 
appeared  with  their  loads,  and  Claude  found  they  had 
brought  the  stove,  the  remainder  of  the  blankets,  and 
more  canned  goods.  Norton  informed  him  that  they 
would  get  the  balance  of  the  things  over  the  next 
day. 

"Have  you  had  a  scrimmage  with  a  bear  here?" 
asked  the  hunter  suddenly,  whose  quick  eye  had  dis- 
covered the  numerous  bear-tracks  in  the  vicinity. 

"  Not  much  of  a  one,"  replied  Claude,  blushing  with 
the  consciousness  that  he  was  not  telling  the  whole  of  the 
story.  "  A  bear  came  into  the  camp  night  before  last, 
and  awoke  us.  We  turned  out,  blazed  away  at  him  as 
well  as  we  could  in  the  dark,  and  he  went  off  into  the 
woods." 

"  By  thunder !  I  should  think  he  had  yarded  here," 
exclaimed  one  of  Norton's  companions,  as  he  examined 


132  Wild  Woods  Life. 

the  ground  around  the  spruce  where  the  bear  had  been 
tied.  "  Aint  ye  seen  him  since? " 

"Yes,"  returned  Claude,  who  now  being  directly 
questioned,  would  not  lie  about  the  matter. 

"Wall?"  returned  the  hunter  inquisitively,  waiting 
for  Claude  to  go  on. 

But  Claude,  turning  to  Norton,  told  him  that  he 
would  meet  him  there  the  next  day  and  settle  with 
him  ;  and  then,  calling  to  his  friends,  began  to  carry  the 
things  that  had  just  been  brought  over  to  the  boats. 

As  the  boys  returned  to  take  the  last  of  the  load,  the 
guide  tackled  Claude  again. 

"  What  dy'e  say  become  o'  that  bear,  Mr.  Emerson  ?  " 
asked  the  guide,  anxiously. 

"  I  didn't  say,"  returned  Claude,  dryly. 

When  a  countryman's  curiosity  is  once  aroused  —  and 
it  doesn't  take  much  to  start  it  —  the  only  way  I  know  to 
lay  it  is  to  kill  him  on  the  spot ;  but  Claude  was  not 
prepared  to  go  to  such  a  length  as  that,  and  so  hurried 
to  his  boat  again. 

But  the  guide  followed  him,  and,  as  they  shoved  off, 
said,  in  a  coaxing,  wheedling  tone,  "  I  say,  naow,  what 
become  of  the  bear  ?  " 

"Jumped  into  his  skin  and  went  off  in  it,"  returned 
Claude,  as,  dipping  his  oars  in  the  water,  he  rowed  away, 
enjoying  the  discomfiture  of  the  native,  who,  having 
failed  in  attaining  the  information  he  so  much  coveted, 
returned,  chagrined  and  crestfallen,  to  his  com- 
panions. 

"What  dy'e  'spose  become  o'  that  bear,  Ned?" 
remarked  the  defeated  guide,  as  he  joined  his  friends. 

"I  don't  care  what  become  of  him,"  returned  Nor- 


A  Hungry  Crowd.  133 

ton.     "  Let's  be  moving,  if  we  intend  to  get  back  to 
Tom's  to  night." 

"  Haven't  eat  my  lunch  yet,  and  I  feel  almighty 
peckish." 

"Neither  have  I.  We  will  eat  it  when  we  get  to 
the  spring.  There  is  nothing  but  lake-water  here  to 
wash  it  down  with  ;"  and  Norton  started  with  his  com- 
panions on  the  return  trip. 

It  was  one  o'clock  when  the  two  boats  reached  the 
camp-ground,  and  Claude  found  the  dinner  about 
ready.  Taking  hold  at  once,  and  assisting  St.  Clair, 
he  was  able  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  shout  "  Dinner  !  " 
which  call  was  hurriedly  responded  to  by  his  friends. 

"What  a  place  these  woods  are  for  an  appetite!" 
remarked  Adams,  as  they  gathered  around  the  table. 
"  A  fellow  is  always  hungry  here." 

"  You  are  at  any  rate,"  returned  St.  Clair. 

"  I  don't  believe  I  eat  any  more  than  any  other 
fellow  in  the  party,"  protested  Adams,  with  his  mouth 
full  of  trout. 

"  That  may  be,"  retorted  St.  Clair,  "  but  the  rest  of 
us  are  not  talking  about  it  all  the  time  as  you 
are." 

"  Don't  twit  on  facts,  fellows,"  interposed  Claude. 
"  Pass  me  the  potatoes,  will  you?  Adams  can  eat  all 
the  time  the  week  he  cooks,"  suggested  Le  Roy. 

"  Oh,  let  up  on  Adams,"  expostulated  Claude  ;  then, 
turning  to  Maynard,  "Did  Nap  eat  all  you  gave  him 
from  the  table  this  morning,  Frank?" 

"  Yes,  and  looked  over  his  shoulder  for  more.  He's 
a  good  feeder,"  and  Maynard  threw  a  piece  of  bread  at 
the  bear,  striking  him  on  the  nose. 


134  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Nap  glanced  with  clownish  severity  toward  the 
table,  and  then  swallowed  the  bread. 

"  Give  him  the  rest  of  these  chub  after  dinner,"  said 
Phil,  smilingly  adding,  "  The  better  you  feed  him,  the 
sooner  you  will  tame  him.  That's  my  opinion." 

"  What  are  we  to  do  this  afternoon,  fellows?"  in- 
quired Le  Roy  as  they  arose  from  the  table. 

"I  think  we  had  better  put  the  camp  to  rights," 
answered  Claude,  "and  then  we  shall  have  plenty  of 
leisure.  The  stove  ought  to  be  set  up,  a  crane  rigged 
for  boiling  potatoes,  and  other  things,  the  supplies 
properly  arranged  in  the  store-tent,  and  wood  enough 
cut  to  last  several  days." 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  remarked  Maynard  ;  "  and  as  soon 
as  I  feed  Nap  I'm  ready  to  do  my  share."  Saying 
which  he  went  for  the  chub,  and,  bringing  them  up 
near  the  bear,  tossed  them  to  him,  one  at  a  time,  the 
rest  of  the  boys  applauding  the  dexterity  with  which 
Nap  caught  each  fish  with  his  fore-paws.  Then  May- 
nard took  the  refuse  from  the  table,  and,  placing  it  on  a 
tin  plate,  brought  it  along  and  set  it  down  near  the 
animal,  who  showed  no  disposition  to  molest  him,  but 
who  opened  his  mouth  and  cleared  out  the  platter  with 
evident  relish. 

The  work  that  Claude  had  spoken  of  was  then  begun, 
and  by  five  o'clock  all  was  finished.  Then  Claude  and 
Phil  went  out  fishing,  the  others  amusing  themselves  in 
various  ways  about  the  camp.  They  returned  at  half- 
past  six  with  thirty  trout  and  as  many  more  chub,  and 
supper  was  soon  after  served. 

While  the  boys  were  eating  Maynard  proposed  that 
some  of  them  should  go  out  that  night  and  float  for  a 


Floating  for  Deer.  135 

deer.  Claude  offered  to  go  with  him,  and  about  dark 
they  started  off  in  the  "  Fairy,"  having  rigged  a  jack 
in  the  bow  of  the  boat.  Claude  paddled,  and  Maynard 
took  his  station  under  the  light,  ready  to  shoot.  But 
although  they  heard  several  noises  that  they  supposed 
were  made  by  deer,  they  returned  to  camp  about  one 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  stiff,  cold,  and  tired,  without 
having  fired  a  shot.  Hoping  for  better  luck  next  time, 
they  crawled  between  the  blankets  with  as  little  noise 
as  possible,  and  were  soon  locked  in  slumber. 

As  none  of  the  boys  had  thought  of  fishing  that 
morning  it  was  six  o'clock  before  any  one  awoke.  St. 
Clair  was  the  first  to  turn  out,  and  he  soon  had  the 
others  on  their  feet,  Claude  and  Maynard  looking 
decidedly  sleepy. 

"  How  many  deer  did  you  get?  "  inquired  Adams,  as 
the  boys  gathered  about  St.  Clair  and  Claude,  one  of 
whom  was  starting  an  open  fire  and  the  other  one  in 
the  stove. 

"  Nary  a  one,"  returned  Claude,  and  then,  as  a  thought 
struck  him,  "Did  you  put  some  beans  to  soak,  St. 
Clair?" 

"Yes,  three  pints." 

"Then  the  country  is  safe,"  returned  the  cook,  who, 
like  all  New-Englanders,  had  a  genuine  liking  for 
baked  beans. 

"  I  must  dig  a  bean-hole  after  breakfast.  We'll  cook 
them  the  same  way  the  loggers  do." 

"How  is  that,  Claude?"  and  Phil,  who  knew  but 
little  about  lumbering  or  the  ways  of  logging  camps, 
turned  with  an  inquisitive  look  to  his  friend. 

"  Simple  enough.     Dig  a  hole  in  the  ground,  put  a 


136  Wild  Woods  Life. 

few  rocks  on  the  bottom ;  make  a  fire  of  hard-wood 
limbs  over  it,  and  when  you  have  a  good  lot  of  coals, 
scratch  them  out,  put  your  pot  of  beans  in,  with  the  top 
covered ;  then  heap  the  coals  around  it,  cover  them  up 
with  dirt  or  sod,  and  let  the  beans  stay  ten  or  twelve 
hours.  I  can  get  ours  ready  for  supper,  and  I  will 
show  you  some  beans  that  will  make  your  mouth 
water." 

"  I  don't  think  much  of  beans,"  said  Phil ;  "  we  have 
them  at  home  sometimes." 

"  I  shouldn't  think  you  would,"  cried  Adams,  con- 
temptuously. "Who  ever  saw  a  New-Yorker  that 
knew  how  to  cook  beans?  You  have  to  serve  an  ap- 
prenticeship in  a  Boston  bakehouse  to  learn  that  piece 
of  cookery,  my  boy." 

After  breakfast  Claude  dug  his  bean-hole,  and  put  his 
beans  to  bake.  St.  Clair  and  Wingate  took  the  "Fairy  " 
and  went  down  to  the  foot  of  the  lake  to  the  outlet,  fish- 
ing, while  St.  Clair,  Adams,  and  Phil  tramped  off  in 
the  woods,  to  see  if  they  could  raise  any  game.  May- 
nard  concluded  to  stop  at  the  camp  and  keep  Claude 
company,  and  render  him  any  assistance  he  might  need. 

"  I  wish  we  had  a  chain  to  put  on  Nap,"  remarked 
Frank,  after  their  friends  had  left  the  camp.  "  It's  too 
bad  to  give  the  old  fellow  such  a  choking  every  night. 
I  don't  believe  it  helps  his  temper  any." 

"  So  do  I.  If  you  had  a  chain  you  would  not  have 
to  muzzle  him,  and  we  should  not  have  to  watch  him  all 
the  time.  Perhaps  we  can  find  one  down  to  Flint's 
Camp.  If  we  do,  we  will  try  and  buy  it  of  him.  We 
shall  have  to  go  down  there  to-morrow,  and  see  if  we  can 
get  some  potatoes.  We  are  about  out." 


Poor  Hunting.  137 

"  Suppose  we  go  down  to  the  lake  and  have  a  bath?  " 
suggested  Claude.  "  I  can  spare  half  an  hour,  now." 

"  I'll  go  with  you,  if  you  think  there  is  no  danger  of 
Nap  giving  us  the  slip  while  we  are  gone." 

"  He'll  be  all  right ;  besides,  we  can  see  him  from  the 
water,  and  keep  an  eye  on  him  occasionally.  The  old 
fellow  seems  to  be  taking  a  nap,  now.  Come  on,"  and 
Claude  started  for  the  lake  followed  by  his  friend,  and 
a  few  moments  more  they  were  sporting  in  the  water, 
finding  it  much  cooler,  however,  than  they  had  antici- 
pated. A  half-hour's  bath  refreshed  and  invigorated 
them,  and  they  returned  to  camp  and  found  Nap  as  quiet 
as  when  they  had  left. 

About  eleven  o'clock  the  hunters  returned  with  two 
rabbits,  the  only  game  they  had  seen,  but  reported  that 
deer-track  were  numerous,  the  ground,  in  some  places, 
being  all  cut  up  with  them. 

Claude  took  the  rabbits,  dressed  them,  and  prepared 
them  for  a  stew  ;  and,  at  half-past  eleven,  took  the  "  Go 
Ahead  "  and  pulled  down  to  the  carry  to  meet  Norton. 
He  had  to  wait  for  him  about  fifteen  minutes.  The 
guides  deposited  their  loads  in  his  boat,  and  Norton 
asked  him  how  they  were  getting  on. 

"  First-rate,"  answered  Claude  ;  "  but  we  are  running 
short  of  potatoes.  Do  you  think  we  can  get  any  at 
Flint's?" 

"  Yes  ;  he  always  keeps  plenty  on  hand." 

Claude  now  paid  Norton  the  price  agreed  upon  for 
his  work,  and,  getting  into  his  boat,  pushed  out  from 
shore.  As  he  dipped  his  oars  into  the  water  the  in- 
quisitive guide  sang  out :  — 

"  Say,  mister,  seen  anything  o'  that  bear  lately?" 


138  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  Yes,"  returned  Claude,  with  a  smile,  as  he  sent  his 
boat  spinning  through  the  water,  "  I  shook  hands  with 
him  this  evening."  An  answer  that  was  nearer  the 
truth  than  his  inquisitor  had  any  idea  of. 

When  Claude  reached  the  camp  he  learned  that  the 
fishermen  had  not  yet  returned  ;  and,  as  it  was  one 
o'clock,  concluded  to  dine  without  them.  After  clear- 
ing up  the  table  he  proposed  to  his  friends  that  they 
should  take  some  dishes  and  one  of  the  boats,  and  row 
to  the  inlet,  and  then  ascend  the  river  a  short  distance, 
where  Norton  had  told  him  he  would  find  some  berries. 

No  one  seemed  very  anxious  for  the  expedition  ;  but, 
finally,  Maynard  and  Adams  said  they  would  accompany 
him,  and  the  other  two  agreed  to  stay  and  look  after  the 
camp,  as  they  were  somewhat  tired  from  their  morning's 
tramp. 

Launching  the  boat,  the  boys  jumped  in  and  headed 
for  the  inlet.  Reaching  the  river,  they  ascended  to  a 
place  where  there  had  once  stood  some  old  lumber 
camps,  the  wreck  of  which  yet  remained.  Near  here 
they  found  raspberries  very  plentiful,  and  in  two  hours 
filled  a  six-quart  pail  they  had  brought  with  them. 
Then  Adams  and  Claude,  who  had  brought  their  guns, 
went  off  a  mile  or  so  up  a  logging  road,  while  Maynard, 
declaring  he  felt  too  lazy  to  accompany  them,  lay  down 
in  the  shade  of  some  trees  and  went  to  sleep. 

Haifa  mile  from  the  river  Claude  and  Adams  found 
three  partridges  and  secured  two  of  them,  and  a  little 
farther  beyond  they  flushed  a  flock  often,  out  of  which 
they  scooped  in  six.  Being  satisfied  with  their  luck, 
they  retraced  their  steps  to  the  river,  and  awakening 
Maynard,  whose  eyes  opened  to  their  fullest  extent 


Chasing  a  Cariboii.  139 

when  he  saw  their  birds,  they  launched  their  boat  and 
started  down-river. 

Just  as  they  came  in  sight  of  the  lake  a  noise  on  their 
left  attracted  their  attention,  and,  looking  in  that  direction, 
they  saw  a  caribou  just  pushing  his  head  through  the 
underbrush  and  stepping  into  the  water. 

"  Holy  Moses  !"  exclaimed  Claude,  who  was  in  the 
stern  with  the  paddle,  "  a  caribou  !  " 

Maynard,  who  was  rowing,  dropped  the  oars,  startled 
by  the  announcement,  and  Adams  reached  for  his  gun. 
Unfortunately  for  the  boys,  however,  neither  of  their 
guns  were  loaded,  and  before  they  could  get  the  shells 
in  them  and  were  ready  to  fire,  the  caribou  had  caught 
sight  of  them,  and,  with  a  frightened  snort  and  whistle, 
turned  suddenly  and  disappeared  in  the  woods. 

"We  will  chase  him,"  cried  Claude.  "  Put  her  for 
the  shore,  Maynard."  A  couple  of  strokes  sufficed  to 
do  this,  and  as  soon  as  the  boat  swung  in  to  the  bank, 
Claude  and  Adams  grasped  their  guns,  and,  telling 
Maynard  to  secure  the  boat,  leaped  on  shore,  and 
started  swiftly  in  pursuit  of  the  animal  they  had  so 
startled. 

They  had  landed  in  a  dense  growth  of  young  firs  and 
spruces,  and  they  soon  found  that  locomotion  was 
exceedingly  difficult,  and  that  unless  they  wished  to 
lose  their  eyes  they  would  have  to  travel  very 
carefully.  Ahead  of  them  they  could  hear  the  caribou 
crashing  through  the  underbrush  ;  but  the  sound  grew 
fainter  and  fainter,  and  after  half  an  hour  of  as  rapid 
progress  as  they  could  make,  they  lost  the  noise  al- 
together, and  were  reluctantly  compelled  to  abandon 
the  chase.  Turning  about  they  met  Maynard,  who  had 


140  Wild  Woods  Life. 

been  hard  on  their  heels,  and  who  wanted  to  know 
"What  in  thunder  they  were  coming  back  for." 

"  Because  the  caribou  has  run  us  hull  down,"  replied 
Claude.  "  I'll  bet  he  is  five  miles  from  here  by  this 
time." 

"  And  you  didn't  get  a  shot  at  him  ?  " 

"Nary  a  shot,  confound  him!"  answered  Adams, 
"  and  I'm  tired  to  death." 

"You  look  so,"  said  Maynard,  for  the  first  time 
noticing  their  appearance,  and  then,  bursting  into  a 
shout  of  laughter,  added,  "  You  both  look  as  if  you 
had  been  run  through  a  thrashing-machine.  Your 
faces  are  all  scratched,  and  your  clothes  are  torn  in  a 
dozen  places." 

"  All  we  were  thinking  of  was  the  caribou,"  remarked 
Claude,  now  looking  at  his  pants,  which  showed  several 
large  rents,  and  wiping  the  blood  from  a  big  scratch 
on  his  right  cheek.  "  This  is  the  worse  piece  of  woods 
I  ever  struck.  I  should  have  thought  the  caribou  would 
have  scratched  his  eyes  out  at  the  pace  he  must  have 
travelled." 

"  There  isn't  much  skin  left  on  my  hands,"  added 
Adams,  lugubriously,  as  he  glanced  at  his  hands,  which 
were  marked  up  from  one  end  to  the  other. 

Pursuing  their  way  more  carefully,  they  reached  the 
boat  without  farther  mishap,  and  struck  out  for  camp, 
reaching  it  at  half-past  five,  where  they  found  the 
"  Fairy"  and  her  crew,  who  had  been  there  an  hour. 

Claude  related  to  his  friends  the  results  of  their  ex- 
cursion, and  all  the  boys  were  sorry  that  the  caribou 
had  given  him  the  slip.  St.  Clair  told  him  that  the 
fishing  was  splendid  down  at  the  outlet,  and  that  he 


Around  the  Camp  Fire.  143 

and  Wingate  had  brought  back  over  a  hundred  trout, 
besides  some  chub  for  Nap. 

"Come,  Claude,"  urged  Adams,  who  was  des- 
perately hungry,  "let's  wash  up,  and  pay  our  respects 
to  those  beans.  Don't  you  think  they  are  done  ?  " 

"I  guess  so,"  and,  washing  his  hands  and  face,  he, 
aided  by  St.  Clair,  proceeded  to  get  supper. 

The  beans  were  found  to  be  cooked  just  right,  "  done 
to  a  turn,''  as  Claude  expressed  it,  and  with  the  berries, 
hot  biscuit,  and  tea,  made  a  supper  that  the  boys  were 
not  backward  in  doing  justice  to. 

After  the  meal  was  over,  and  things  cleared  away, 
a  large  camp-fire  was  kindled,  and  around  this  the  party 
gathered,  and  talked  and  sang  the  remainder  of  the 
evening.  As  the  friendly  circle  broke  up,  Claude 
announced  that  they  would  have  to  go  to  Flint's  Camp 
the  next  day,  and  see  if  they  could  procure  some  pota- 
toes. Then  Phil  proposed,  that,  it  being  Sunday,  and 
as  they  could  not  go  to  church,  they  should  all  go  down 
the  lake,  and  pay  a  visit  to  Flint's  Camp. 

"  I  will  stay  and  keep  camp  while  the  rest  of  you 
go,"  said  Maynard.  "  Somebody  will  have  to  watch 
Nap,  and  I  can  go  some  other  time." 

"That  bear  is  more  trouble  than  he  is  worth," 
added  Phil.  "  Better  shoot  him,  and  get  rid  of  him." 

"No,  no,"  remarked  Claude,  who  had  begun  to 
take  a  liking  to  him.  "  Let  Maynard  stay  this  time,  and 
I'll  see  if  I  can't  buy  a  chain,  of  Flint,  to  fasten  him  up 
with,  and  then  we  can  all  leave  camp  whenever  we 
please  ;  "  and  with  the  matter  thus  disposed  of,  the  bear 
was  compelled  to  submit  once  more  to  the  choking  and 
muzzling  process,  and  the  boys  turned  in  for  the  night. 


144  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Sunday  morning  the  boys  slept  later  than  usual,  and 
it  was  eight  o'clock  before  they  were  all  up,  and  nine 
before  breakfast  was  over.  At  half-past  nine  all  hands 
with  the  exception  of  Maynard  embarked  in  the  three 
boats,  and  pulled  down  to  the  foot  of  the  lake,  making 
the  distance  without  especial  effort  in  a  little  more  than 
an  hour.  The  boats  were  taken  carefully  out  of  the 
water,  and  turned  bottom  up  on  shore,  and  then,  strik- 
ing into  the  carry  road,  the  party  headed  for  Flint's, 
reaching  that  camp  in  an  hour,  and  were  fortunate 
enough  to  find  Mr.  Flint  at  home. 

He  was  surprised  by  so  many  callers ;  but  he  invited 
them  in,  asked  them  where  they  were  stopping,  and 
they  passed  an  hour  very  pleasantly  in  listening  to  some 
of  his  yarns,  he  seeming  to  possess  an  endless  number, 
on  all  sorts  of  subjects  appertaining  to  hunting,  fishing, 
and  wood-craft.  That  he  drew  the  long  bow  frequently 
was  evident  from  the  winks  exchanged  among  the  boys, 
whenever  they  were  free  from  his  observation.  Finally 
Claude  told  him  they  wanted  to  buy  some  potatoes,  and 
he  offered  them  all  they  wanted.  After  consulting  with 
his  friends,  Claude  told  him  he  would  take  three  bags- 
ful,  about  five  bushels,  and  Flint  harnessed  an  old 
horse,  which  he  kept  to  do  toting  on  the  carry,  into  a 
sled,  and  hauled  them  over  to  the  lake,  a  little  over 
three  miles  distant.  Before  they  started  back  to  the 
lake,  Claude  informed  Flint  of  the  capture  of  the  bear, 
and  asked  him  if  he  had  a  chain  of  any  kind  he  could 
sell  them. 

The  old  guide  looked  at  the  party  in  astonishment, 
after  hearing  Claude's  story,  and  complimented  them  on 
their  smartness,  laughing  heartily,  however,  at  Claude's 


Teaching  the  Bear.  145 

account  of  their  manner  of  securing  Nap  nights,  and 
after  rummaging  around  for  fifteen  minutes,  brought 
forth  a  pair  of  trace-chains,  which  he  fastened  together, 
making  one  chain  twelve  feet  long,  which  he  sold 
them  for  two  dollars.  When  they  reached  the  lake, 
Flint  examined  their  boats  admiringly,  and  expressed 
the  opinion  that  they  were  beauties.  He  asked  the  boys 
what  they  cost,  where  they  were  built,  what  kind  of 
wood  they  were  made  of,  and  wound  up  by  offering  to 
buy  them  when  the  party  went  home,  if  they  would  sell 
them.  Then,  bidding  the  boys  good-by,  and  asking 
them  to  call  and  see  him  again,  he  turned  his  horse, 
and,  jumping  on  the  sled,  rode  homeward.  The  boats 
having  been  put  into  the  water,  a  bag  of  potatoes  was 
placed  in  each,  and  the  flotilla  moved  northward. 

In  the  morning,  after  the  boys  left  the  camp,  May- 
nard  amused  himself  by  writing  some  letters  home, 
and  then  took  a  book  and  read  awhile.  Becoming  tired, 
however,  of  this  way  of  passing  his  time,  he  turned  his 
attention  to  Nap,  who  was  lying  quietly  in  the  shade, 
near  the  tree  where  he  was  fastened. 

"  I  wonder  if  old  Nap  is  very  ugly  now,"  said  May- 
nard  to  himself.  "I'll  see  how  he  acts,  and  see  if  I 
can't  teach  him  to  do  some  tricks,"  and  he  walked  up  to 
the  bear  ;  Nap  moved  his  head,  and  looked  at  him  as  he 
approached,  not  savagely,  but  rather  inquisitively,  as  if 
saying  to  himself,  "  I  should  like  to  know  what  that 
fellow  wants  now." 

"  How  are  you,  Nap,  old  fellow, — want  a  chub?" 
and  Maynard  poked  him  a  little  with  a  small  stick  he 
carried,  causing  the  bear  to  stand  up  on  his  feet.  Bruin 
looked  at  him,  winking  and  blinking  his  eyes  in  a 


146  Wild  Woods  Life. 

manner  that  made  his  captor  laugh.  "  Pretty  good 
fellow,  Nap,  aintyou?  "  and  the  boy  laid  the  end  of  the 
stick  on  the  bear's  nose,  causing  Nap  to  push  it  away 
with  one  of  his  paws. 

Then  Maynard  brought  four  chubs,  and  two  small 
trout  to  Nap,  and  said,  "  Now,  old  fellow,  you  will 
have  to  stand  on  your  hindlegs,  or  you  don't  get  a 
fish."  He  held  out  a  chub  to  Bruin,  who  stepped 
toward  him,  and  tried  to  secure  it,  but  Maynard  backed 
away,  until  the  bear  had  reached  the  length  of  his  rope  ; 
then,  tapping  him  lightly  under  the  chin  with  his  stick, 
held  the  fish  in  the  air,  and  said,  "  Sit  up,  Nap,  if  you 
want  it."  Nap  did  not  seem  to  understand  English 
very  well,  and  made  several  comical  but  futile  efforts  to 
get  the  fish,  causing  Maynard  to  shout  with  laughter. 
Then  he  tapped  the  animal  under  the  chin  again,  who 
tried,  as  before,  to  get  the  fish,  and,  after  several  attempts, 
sat  down  on  his  haunches.  "  Now,  up,  Nap,  up," 
and,  striking  him  again,  the  bear  stood  up  on  his  hind- 
legs,  probably  more  from  accident  than  design,  and 
Maynard  gave  him  the  coveted  fish,  which  he  ate  with 
evident  relish.  When  he  had  eaten  it,  Maynard  tried 
again  to  make  him  stand  up,  and,  after  several  efforts, 
was  successful,  and  gave  him  another  fish. .  Pie  worked 
away  patiently  with  his  pupil,  and  by  the  time  he  had 
given  him  the  six  fish,  he  had  taught  him  to  stand  up 
and  catch  them  every  time.  "  I  guess  that  will  do  for 
the  present,  Nap  ;  but  now  you  want  something  for 
them  to  swim  in,"  and  Maynard  brought  a  pail  of 
water  and  sat  it  down  where  the  bear  could  drink 
his  fill. 

"  It  is  rather  monotonous  staying  here  alone.    I  think 


Return  from  Flint's.  147 

I  will  tackle  my  book  again.  Probably  the  boys  won't 
be  back  until  one  or  two  o'clock  ;  "  and,  turning  into  a 
hammock,  he  was  soon  deeply  engaged  in  his  story. 

"What  musical  instrument  does  that  guide  remind 
you  of,  Claude  ?  "  inquired  Wingate  as  the  boats  moved 
along,  sufficiently  near  for  conversation  to  be  carried 
on  from  one  to  the  other. 

"  Give  it  up." 

"  The  lyre,"  and  then  a  smile  rippled  over  the  faces 
of  the  boys. 

"  Oh,  strike  the  lyre  !"  exclaimed  St.  Clair,  with  a 
chuckle. 

"  He'll  strike  you  if  you  call  him  a  liar,"  added 
Adams. 

"  I  never  call  a  man  a  liar,"  protested  Wingate,  "  it's 
not  polite.  I  always  call  him  a  musical  instrument." 

"  Wrhat  are  you  going  to  give  us  for  dinner,  Claude? 
I'm  getting  hollow,"  and  Le  Roy,  who  was  rowing  the 
"Fairy,"  looked  at  the  cook,  who  was  at  the  paddle. 

"  He  ought  to  give  us  a  regular  tuck-out  to-day," 
broke  in  Adams.  "  It  is  Sunday,  you  know,  and  most 
hotels  give  a  better  bill  of  fare  Sunday  than  any  other 
day." 

"  It  will  take  too  long  to  get  up  a  fancy  dinner.  I'm 
starved  now.  It  is  half-past  one  at  least,"  cried  Phil. 

"  It  will  be  past  two  o'clock  when  we  reach  camp, 
fellows,"  replied  Claude;  "  but,  if  you  will  wait  until 
five  o'clock,  I  will  give  you  the  best  dinner  the  camp 
will  furnish." 

"  Wait  until  we  get  to  camp  and  we'll  vote  on  it," 
suggested  Adams;  "and  as  the  wind  appears  to  be 
breezing  up  ahead,  suppose  we  row  a  little  faster." 


148  Wild  Woods  Life. 

They  reached  the  landing  at  quarter  past  two,  and 
Maynard  stood  on  the  shore  to  receive  them. 

"  The  camp  has  not  run  away  from  you,  I  see?"  said 
Claude,  as  he  stepped  on  shore. 

"  No  nor  the  bear  either.  But  I  am  very  glad  you 
have  come,  for  I  am  getting  decidedly  hungry." 

"  How  many  times  have  you  been  to  the  cupboard?'' 
queried  Adams,  smiling. 

"Not  once,  upon  my  honor.  Pray  don't  judge  me 
by  yourself." 

"  I  say,  Frank,  we  are  going  to  take  a  vote  upon  the 
dinner-question." 

"  A  vote,  Phil  ?" 

"  Yes.  Claude  says  he  will  get  us  up  a  Young's 
Hotel  dinner  if  we  will  wait  until  five  o'clock  for  it,  and 
we  may  as  well  settle  it  now.  Those  in  favor  of  having 
dinner  at  five  o'clock,"  and  then  adding,  facetiously, 
"with  a  bill  of  fare  consisting  of  turtle-soup,  roast 
turkey,  oysters  on  the  shell,  fricaseed  humming-birds, 
ice-cream,  roman  punch,  and  champagne,  will  hold  up 
their  hands." 

Adams,  Maynard,  Le  Roy,  and  Phil  held  up  their 
hands,  and  the  matter  was  settled.  Then  the  boys 
moved  up  to  the  tents,  and  Claude  and  St.  Clair  went 
to  work,  assisted  occasionally  by  one  of  their  friends. 

About  four  o'clock  Claude  went  into  the  woods,  and 
obtained  some  birch-bark,  and,  cutting  it  into  the  proper 
size,  made  seven  pieces,  on  which  he  inscribed  with 
lead-pencil,  and  then  placed  one  at  each  plate,  the 
following :  — 


A  Swell  Dinner.  149 

HOTEL  DE  FOREST. 
SUNDAY,  AUGUST  20,  1876. 

MENU. 

SOUP. 
Chicken,  Tomato. 

FISH. 

Baked  Brook  Trout. 
BOILED. 

Ham. 

COLD  DISHES. 
Ham,  Tongue,  Canned  Corn  Beef. 

ENTREES. 
Baked  Beans,  a  la  New  England. 

Clams  fried  in  batter. 

Partridge,  Fricasse,  a  la  Parmachenee. 

Rabbit   Stew. 

RELISHES. 
Pickles,  Chow-chow,  Worcestershire  sauce. 

VEGETABLES. 
Potatoes  boiled,  Green  peas,  String  beans,  Corn,  Raw  tomatoes. 

PASTRY. 
Plum-pudding,  Lemon  sauce.     Currant  cake. 

DESSERT. 
Raspberries,  Apricots,  Coffee. 

The  boys  were  amused  with  the  birch-bark  bills  of 
fare,  and  each  one  declared  his  intention  of  keeping  his 
for  a  souvenir  of  the  occasion.  The  dinner,  too,  con- 
sidering the  place  and  circumstances,  was  beyond  all 
praise,  and  that  it  was  appreciated  was  shown  by  the 


150  Wild  Woods  Life, 

repeated  calls  to  Claude  for  the  different  dishes  that 
comprised  the  menu. 

After  dinner,  Maynard  fed  Nap  with  the  refuse  from 
the  table,  and,  remembering  that  bears  had  a  penchant 
for  berries,  gave  him  about  a  pint  of  raspberries,  which 
he  greedily  devoured  with  a  smile  all  over  his  face. 

In  the  evening  the  boys  had  scarcely  gathered  around 
the  camp-fire  when  a  tremendous  thunder-shower  came 
up,  and  for  an  hour  they  were  treated  to  such  an  ex- 
hibition of  electricity  as  they  had  never  seen  before, 
while  the  rain  poured  in  torrents,  causing  them  to 
speedily  seek  shelter,  and  the  wind  blew  so  hard  that 
at  each  moment  they  expected  to  see  their  tents 
blown  away.  By  eleven  o'clock,  however,  the  storm 
was  over,  and  then  the  party  retired  for  the  night. 

When  they  arose  the  next  morning  everything  was 
wet,  and  Maynard  built  up  a  rousing  fire  before  break- 
fast to  dry  things  around  them.  The  woods  being  so 
wet,  after  breakfast  the  most  of  the  party  went  to  over- 
hauling their  clothing,  mending  rents  and  sewing  on 
missing  buttons,  and,  as  there  were  plenty  of  fish  in 
camp,  they  spent  the  afternoon  in  reading  and  writing 
letters  home,  trusting  to  luck  to  get  them  to  a  post- 
office. 

Norton  had  told  them  of  a  beaver  dam  on  a  small 
stream,  several  miles  above  where  they  were  encamped, 
and  as  the  boys  had  never  seen  one,  they  started  out 
after  breakfast  Tuesday  morning  to  find  it.  As  the 
bear  was  now  chained  it  was  not  necessary  for  anybody 
to  stay  behind  to  watch  him,  and  the  whole  party  left 
the  camp,  taking  a  lunch  with  them,  as  they  were  un- 
certain what  time  they  should  return.  Before  leaving, 


The  Eagle's  Nest.  151 

Maynard  wrote  the  following  notice  in  coarse  hand  on 
a  sheet  of  paper  and  pinned  it  to  the  tree  where  Nap 
was  chained,  for  the  protection  of  any  one  who  should 
happen  to  stray  into  the  camp:  "  This  bear  is  half- 
savage,  and  is  not  used  to  being  fooled  with.  Let  him 
alone,  and  keep  out  of  his  way." 

The  party  struck  into  the  woods  north  of  the  camp, 
and  travelled  in  an  irregular  way  for  about  three  hours, 
stopping  quite  often  to  inspect  deer-track,  that  were 
numerous  along  their  route.  At  noon  they  had  made 
about  six  miles  as  nearly  as  they  could  calculate,  but 
without  finding  the  stream  they  were  in  search  of,  and, 
becoming  tired,  sat  down  on  a  fallen  spruce  to  rest  and 
eat  their  lunch.  Near  them  a  dead  pine  towered  sky- 
ward for  a  hundred  feet  at  least,  and  near  the  top  of 
this  the  boys  descried  the  nest  of  some  large  bird. 
While  they  were  speculating  as  to  what  it  could  be,  an 
immense  bald  eagle  came  sailing  through  the  air,  and 
alighted  in  the  nest,  and  to  their  surprise  the  boys  found 
it  contained  several  young  eagles.  All  of  the  party  had 
brought  their  guns  or  rifles  with  them,  and  Maynard 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  shoot,  and,  picking  up 
his  rifle,  blazed  away  at  the  feathered  monarch  above 
him.  He  missed,  however,  and  the  huge  bird,  with  a 
discordant  scream,  spread  his  wide  wings  and  sailed 
away. 

"  I  have  half  a  mind  to  climb  up  to  that  nest,"  said 
Claude,  "  and  see  how  much  of  a  family  the  old  fellow 
has." 

"  I  will  try  it  if  you  will,"  added  Maynard. 

Phil  burst  into  a  derisive  laugh.  "That  nest  is 
safe,"  he  said,  "  from  any  harm  you  might  do  it  by 


152  Wild  Woods  Life. 

climbing  up  to  it.  Why,  that  tree  is  four  feet  through 
at  the  butt,  and  rises  for  forty  feet  without  a  limb.  I 
should  like  to  see  you  shin  it,"  and  again  he  laughed, 
the  others  joining  with  him. 

Claude  walked  up  to  the  tree,  and  found  that  he  could 
not  begin  to  meet  his  hands  around  it,  and,  after  a  few 
attempts  at  shinning  it,  he  made  up  his  mind  that  it 
could  not  be  done. 

"  If  we  only  had  an  axe,"  suggested  Maynard,  "  we 
could  chop  it  down." 

"  You  could  if  you  lived  long  enough,"  remarked 
Adams,  with  a  provoking  smile. 

"  Never  mind  their  laughing,  Maynard,  we  will  try 
it  some  day." 

"  That's  so,  Claude.  And  we  will  capture  all  the 
young  eagles." 

"It  is  after  one  o'clock,"  said  St.  Clair,  looking  at 
his  watch,  and  picking  up  his  gun.  "  Hadn't  we 
better  be  making  tracks  for  camp  ?  " 

"I  suppose  we  had,"  answered  Claude  ;  "we  shall 
be  hungry  by  the  time  we  reach  it." 

The  boys  now  turned  homeward,  keeping  a  bright 
look-out  for  game  ;  but  they  only  saw  a  rabbit  and  some 
squirrels,  and  these  they  did  not  meddle  with. 

"  I  wish  some  of  us  would  be  lucky  enough  to  shoot 
a  deer  or  a  caribou.  I  should  like  some  fresh  meat," 
and  Phil  gazed  at  the  others  as  if  to  ask  their  opinion. 

"  I  will  paddle  you  out  to-morrow  night  if  you'll 
agree  to  shoot  one." 

"  Thank  you,  Adams.  I  won't  guarantee  to  shoot 
one,  but  I'll  do  my  best." 

"  Then  we'll  go." 


A  Hard  Tramp.  153 

It  was  half-past  four  when  the  party  reached  camp, 
well  tired  from  their  day's  tramp.  Looking  about  they 
found  Nap  all  right,  and  could  not  see  that  anything  had 
been  disturbed.  Claude  and  St.  Clair  prepared  the 
supper,  and,  after  it  was  eaten,  Maynard  fed  the  bear, 
and  Phil  and  Adams  started  the  camp-fire.  When  the 
work  was  over,  the  boys  gathered  around  its  cheerful 
blaze,  and  laid  plans  for  future  amusement.  Wingate 
tried  to  start  some  singing ;  but  his  companions  did  not 
appear  in  the  mood  for  it,  and,  after  a  few  attempts, 
gave  it  up.  The  fact  was  that,  although  no  one  said 
anything  about  it,  they  were  all  quite  fagged  out,  and 
one  after  another  sought  their  bed,  and  by  half-past 
nine  every  one  was  asleep. 


154  Wild  Woods  Life. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Fishing  and  Berrying.  —  The  Eagle's  Nest.  —  Chopping  the  Pine.  — 
An  Interference.  —  Fight  with  the  Eagles. — The  Boys  getting 
the  Worst  of  It.  —  St.  Clair  to  the  Rescue.  —  Return  to  Camp.  — 
A  Visit  to  Chester's.  —  Evening  Recitations.  —  A  Trip  to  Moose 
Brook.  —  Discovery  of  a  Deer  in  the  Lake.  —  Its  Chase  and 
Capture.  —  Changing  Cooks. —  St.  Clair's  Speech. 

THE  next  morning  at  the  breakfast-table  Claude  an- 
nounced that  the  berries  and  trout  had  all  been  eaten, 
and  that  if  the  party  wished  for  any  more  some  one 
would  have  to  go  fishing  and  berrying.  Adams  and 
Phil  immediately  volunteered  to  furnish  the  trout,  and 
Wingate  and  Le  Roy  agreed  to  go  for  some  berries. 
The  members  of  both  parties  declared  it  their  intention 
of  making  a  day  of  it,  and  after  breakfast  Claude  and 
his  assistant  were  kept  busy  for  half  an  hour  in  putting 
up  lunches. 

The  fishing-party  had  concluded  to  go  to  the  Outlet, 
as  offering  the  most  likely  sport,  while  the  berry-pickers 
were  to  go  up  the  river  ;  and  just  before  nine  o'clock  the 
two  parties,  in  the  "Fairy"  and  "  Go  Ahead,"  pulled 
away  from  camp,  one  boat  heading  up  the  lake,  and  the 
other  in  the  opposite  direction. 

After  the  four  boys  had  left,  Claude  and  St.  Clair 
finished  up  their  work,  while  Maynard  fooled  with  the 
bear,  who  was  now  becoming  quite  tame.  As  soon  as 
the  work  was  done  Claude  came  up  to  Maynard,  and 
in  alow  tone  asked  him  if  he  would  like  to  go  with  him 


A   Tough  Job.  157 

and  try  and  capture  the  young  eagles.  The  proposition 
was  eagerly  received,  and  telling  St.  Clair,  if  they  were 
not  back  by  noon,  to  get  his  own  dinner,  the  two  boys 
took  Claude's  gun,  a  dozen  cartridges,  an  axe,  and  some 
lunch,  and  started  off,  telling  St.  Clair  they  would  be 
back  as  soon  as  they  could. 

They  knew  quite  well  the  route  they  had  travelled  the 
day  before,  but  to  avoid  all  danger  of  getting  lost  Frank 
carried  his  pocket-compass.  They  did  not  look  for  any 
game  on  their  way,  but  made  the  best  time  they  could  to 
the  "  king  pine,"  as  the  boys  had  called  it ;  and  at  half- 
past  eleven  they  stood  beside  it.  The  old  eagle  was  no- 
where in  sight,  and  without  loss  of  time  Claude  threw 
off  his  hunting-jacket,  and,  taking  the  axe,  attacked  the 
tree  with  all  his  strength.  The  chips  flew  merrily  for 
a  while,  but,  as  he  became  tired,  dropped  slower,  and 
then  Frank  offered  to  spell  him,  and  Claude  retired  to 
rest,  with  the  perspiration  running  down  his  face  and 
body  in  large  drops,  which  made  him  feel  as  if  he  had 
just  gone  through  a  heavy  shower. 

Maynard's  courage  was  better  than  his  judgment, 
and  he  hacked  and  banged  away  at  the  old  pine  with 
plenty  of  vigor,  but  little  skill ;  and  he  was  surprised  to 
find  how  hard  it  was  to  strike  twice  in  the  same  place, 
and  how  often  his  axe  flew  wide  of  the  mark.  The 
gap  in  the  side  of  the  pine,  however,  steadily  enlarged, 
and  at  the  end  of  three-quarters  of  an  hour  the  boys 
had  cut  half  through  the  tree,  finding  it,  somewhat  to 
their  surprise,  sound  clear  to  the  heart.  Then,  slipping 
on  their  coats,  to  avoid  taking  cold,  they  sat  down  and 
ate  their  lunch,  procuring  a  little  rest  from  their  violent 
exertions. 


158  Wild  Woods  Life. 

They  devoted  twenty  minutes  to  lunch,  and  then 
went  on  with  their  attack  on  the  forest  monarch. 
Frank  had  just  begun  to  make  the  chips  fly,  when  the 
eagle  they  had  seen  the  day  before  came  swooping 
down  toward  the  tree,  followed  by  another  not  quite  as 
large,  which  the  boys  at  once  concluded  must  be  his  mate. 

Claude  picked  up  his  gun,  placed  a  shell,  loaded  with 
buck,  in  each  barrel,  and  waited  for  the  eagles  to  alight. 
This  they  did  not  do,  but  circled  around  the  tree, 
giving  vent  to  shrill  cries,  and  Claude,  watching  his 
opportunity,  blazed  at  them,  giving  one  the  contents 
of  his  right  barrel,  and  the  other  the  load  in  his  left. 
From  the  way  the  birds  acted  he  believed  that  both 
shots  took  effect,  and  he  hastened  to  reload  his  piece. 
Before  he  could  do  it,  however,  with  a  shriller  shriek 
than  any  they  had  yet  given,  the  eagles  swooped  down 
on  the  boys ;  and  then  took  place  such  a  contest  as  the 
friends  had  never  taken  part  in  before,  and  hoped  never 
to  be  compelled  to  again. 

With  their  powerful  beaks  and  sharp  talons  the 
birds  struck  savagely  at  the  boys,  each  singling  out  an 
adversary,  and  Claude  and  Frank  found  they  had  their 
hands  full,  if  not  a  little  more. 

Claude  clubbed  his  gun  and  fought  with  desperation, 
for  he  knew  he  was  fighting  for  his  life  ;  while  Frank, 
with  the  axe,  tried  to  cut  down  the  female,  who  had 
attacked  him,  and  who  seemed  more  savage,  if  anything, 
than  her  mate. 

The  great  wings  of  the  birds  flapped  around  the 
heads  of  the  boys,  like  the  fans  of  a  windmill,  and 
whenever  the  eagles  struck  them  fairly,  the  blow  would 
almost  knock  them  off  their  feet. 


A  Fight  with  the  Eagles.  159 

For  twenty  minutes  the  fight  waged  fiercely,  during 
which  time  the  boys  had  nearly  all  their  clothing  torn 
off  of  them,  while  their  bodies  were  bleeding  in  many 
places  from  the  effects  of  the  eagles'  talons  and  beaks, 
and  yet  the  birds  appeared  in  no  wise  discouraged. 

The  matter  now  began  to  look  serious.  The  boys 
were  losing  their  strength  ;  their  breath  came  in  quick, 
short  gasps ;  and  the  blood  and  sweat  commingled 
poured  down  their  faces  and  bodies,  while,  their  arms 
ached  from  constant  exercise.  Claude  began  to  think 
that  his  time  had  come,  and  most  earnestly  wished 
that  he  was  back  in  camp  ;  while  Maynard  wished  his 
companion  had  been  a  thousand  miles  off  before  he 
had  proposed  the  expedition. 

Finally,  in  dodging  a  tremendous  lunge  that  the  old 
bald-head  made  for  him,  Claude  tripped  over  a  limb, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  desperate  efforts  he  made  to  recover 
himself,  he  went  over  flat  on  his  back.  For  a  moment 
he  lost  all  courage,  and  really  believed  he  never  should 
see  home  again.  His  huge  opponent  lit  on  his  breast, 
and  it  took  every  ounce  of  strength  he  had  left  to 
prevent  the  bird  from  tearing  his  throat.  He  called 
frantically  to  his  companion.  But  as  much  as  Maynard 
might  wish  to  help  him,  he  was  in  no  condition  to  do 
so,  for  he  had  all  he  could  do  to  successfully  combat 
his  own  assailant. 

At  this  critical  state  of  affairs  a  new  actor  appeared 
on  the  scene,  in  the  person  of  St.  Clair,  who,  having 
become  tired  of  loafing  about  the  camp,  had  taken  his 
gun,  and  followed  them,  having  had  a  shrewd  suspicion 
from  the  first  as  to  their  destination.  This  turned  the 
tide  of  battle. 


160  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  Thunder  and  Mars  !  "  yelled  St.  Clair,  as  he  dashed 
toward  them,  "what  kind  of  a  circus  is  this?"  and 
rushing  to  Claude  he  fetched  the  eagle,  that  was  about 
getting  the  best  of  him,  a  crack  over  the  head,  that 
knocked  him  some  two  feet  away,  and  then  raising  his 
gun,  he  gave  him  a  charge  of  buckshot  that  effectually 
settled  his  warlike  proclivities.  He  then  turned  his 
attention  to  Frank,  who,  notwithstanding  his  best  efforts, 
had  not  succeeded  in  getting  a  fair  clip  at  the  eagle 
with  his  axe,  and  who  by  this  time  had  also  become 
about  discouraged,  and  called  to  him  to  drop  to  the 
ground.  The  eagle,  hearing  the  noise,  seemed  at  once 
to  understand  that  the  tables  were  turned,  and  sought 
safety  in  flight ;  but  he  only  went  a  few  feet,  as  St. 
Clair,  at  that  short  range,  poured  a  charge  of  buckshot 
into  him  that  fairly  riddled  him,  beside  breaking  both 
his  wings,  and  he  fell  heavily  to  the  ground. 

"How  did  you  happen  here  so  opportunely ?"  and 
Claude,  crawling  to  his  feet,  shook  hands  with  St.  Clair 
as  if  he  had  not  seen  him  for  a  year. 

"  Give  us  a  shake,  Andrew,"  added  Frank,  before  St. 
Clair  could  answer.  "  I  was  never  so  glad  to  see  you 
in  my  life." 

"  The  fact  is,  boys,  I  suspected  where  you  were  going 
when  I  saw  you  whispering  together,  and  when  you 
took  an  axe  I  was  sure  of  it,  from  what  I  heard  you 
say  yesterday.  After  staying  in  camp  a  couple  of  hours 
I  began  to  get  lonesome,  and  so  took  my  gun  and 
followed  you;  and"  —  with  a  smile  —  "I  should  say 
that  I  arrived  about  the  proper  time." 

"You  are  just  right,  —  you  did,"  replied  Claude; 
"that  was  a  close  shave  for  us." 


Capture  of  the   Young  Eagles.  161 

"  I  had  no  idea  that  eagles  were  so  strong,  and  would 
fight  so,"  remarked  Frank. 

"  Nor  I,  either.  I  can  believe  a  story  I  once  read, 
now,  about  an  eagle  carrying  off  a  child  "  ;  and  Claude 
stretched  out  the  wings  of  the  one  he  had  attacked,  and 
the  boys  were  astonished  at  their  spread. 

"  I'll  take  a  turn  at  this  job  now,"  added  St.  Clair, 
picking  up  the  axe,  "  and  both  of  you  had  better  go  to 
that  little  brook  a  few  rods  back,  and  wash  your  faces. 
You  look  as  if  you  had  been  to  an  Irish  wake  "  ;  and  he 
laughed  in  spite  of  himself. 

The  boys  went  off  to  wash,  and  St.  Clair  went  at  the 
tree  lustily,  and  had  made  considerable  progress  when 
his  friends  returned.  Then  Maynard  spelled  him,  and 
when  he  had  become  tired  Claude  declared  that  he 
must  have  one  more  hack  at  it,  and  wielded  the  axe 
for  a  few  moments,  and  then  the  tree  began  to  crack. 

"  Look  out,  Claude  ;  it  is  going,"  cried  Maynard,  run- 
ning back. 

Claude  glanced  up  at  the  tall  trunk,  and  seeing  it 
begin  to  totter  joined  his  companions,  and  in  a  moment 
more  the  king  pine  fell  beyond  them  with  a  crash  that 
awoke  the  echoes  of  the  forest,  and  levelled  beneath  it 
everything  in  its  path. 

The  boys,  with  some  difficulty,  made  their  way  to 
the  end  of  the  tree,  and  found  that  the  nest  had  been  all 
torn  to  pieces  and  the  young  eagles  thrown  out.  After 
some  search,  however,  they  found  them,  and  then 
quickly  left  the  locality ;  for  the  smell  of  decayed  fish 
and  offal,  that  came  from  the  fragments  of  the  nest, 
were  too  much  for  any  sensitive  stomach. 

Putting  on  their  coats,  and   picking    up  their  guns 


162  Wild  Woods  Life. 

and  the  dead  eagles,  the  party  started  for  camp,  walking 
as  rapidly  as  the  circumstances  would  permit,  for  it  was 
now  five  o'clock,  and  they  were  afraid  that  their  friends 
returning  from  the  fishing  excursion,  and  finding  the 
camp  empty,  would  be  worried  about  them. 

Claude  took  the  two  young  eagles  and  the  axe,  and 
this  was  all  he  could  attend  to,  as  they  were  quite  large, 
and  struggled  considerably.  St.  Clair  and  Maynard 
carried  one  of  the  dead  birds  and  the  guns.  Thus 
loaded,  it  was  half-past  six  when  they  reached  the  camp, 
and  found  their  companions  somewhat  alarmed  at  their 
absence,  and  wondering  where  they  could  be. 

When  the  fishermen  saw  them  coming  they  gave  a 
delighted  cheer,  which  changed  to  exclamations  of 
surprise  on  observing  the  kind  of  game  they  had 
brought  back  with  them,  and  the  appearance  of  Claude's 
and  Frank's  faces  and  clothing. 

"  What  on  earth  have  you  been  doing!"  exclaimed 
Phil.  "  Been  having  a  Don  Quixote  fight  with  a  wind- 
mill?" 

"  Worse  than  that !  "  exclaimed  Claude  ;  and  he  pro- 
ceeded to  give  them  an  account  of  the  day's  advent- 
ure. 

They  listened  with  breathless  interest,  while  St.  Clair 
built  a  fire,  and  busied  himself  about  the  evening  meal, 
leaving  all  the  talking  to  Claude  and  Maynard. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  them  ?"  queried 
Wingate,  when  Claude  and  Maynard  had  finished  their 
recital  of  the  day's  sport. 

"Why,  have  them  preserved,  of  course.  One  of 
those  eagles  will  measure  nine  feet  from  tip  to  tip  of 
wing,  and  the  other,  eight.  Have  them  set  up  and 


A  House  for  the   Young  Eagles.          163 

mounted  nicely,  and  they  will  look  nobby  in  the 
house." 

"  How  are  you  going  to  get  them  out  of  here?  "  and 
Adams  looked  as  if  he  had  given  Claude  a  hard  one. 

"  I  don't  know.  I  suppose,  however,  we  could  carry 
them  over  to  Chester's,  and  get  Norton  to  fix  them  up. 
We  could  go  over  there  and  back  in  a  day.  What  do 
you  say,  Maynard?" 

"  I'd  laugh  if  we  couldn't." 

"  It's  only  twenty  miles,"  put  in  Le  Roy. 

"  How  is  that  supper  getting  along?  "  broke  in  Adams. 
"I  shall  not  want  any,  if  it  isn't  ready  soon." 

This  reminded  the  other  boys  that  their  stomachs  were 
also  empty,  and  all  hands  turned  their  attention  to 
forwarding  the  supper,  which  was  soon  ready,  and  de- 
spatched with  a  gusto  that  was  foreign  to  them  at  home. 

In  the  evening,  around  the  camp-fire,  the  fishermen 
related  their  luck,  and  informed  the  others  that  they  had 
brought  in  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  trout,  beside 
about  a  peck  of  chubs  for  Nap.  Claude  and  Maynard, 
who  were  very  tired,  went  to  bed  early  ;  and  St.  Clair, 
after  relating  the  particulars  of  the  battle  with  the  eagles 
again,  turned,  in,  and  the  others  soon  followed  him. 

Thursday  morning,  after  breakfast  was  over,  Claude 
and  Maynard  went  to  work  repairing  their  clothes,  and 
the  other  boys  lounged  about  the  camp,  reading  and  writ- 
ing, and  during  the  forenoon  all  took  a  bath  in  the  lake. 
In  the  afternoon  Frank  and  Claude  took  a  large  box  that 
some  of  the  stores  had  come  in,  and  nailing  slats  over 
the  top  of  it,  tipped  it  up  on  one  side,  and  used  it  for  a 
pen  for  the  young  eagles,  who  took  very  kindly  to  the 
diet  of  fish,  and  bits  of  different  food  from  the  table,  that 


164  Wild  Woods  Life. 

their  captors  were  able  to  provide.  When  they  had 
fixed  the  box,  and  put  the  birds  in,  the  two  boys  turned 
into  the  hammocks,  while  the  rest  of  the  party  rambled 
off  in  the  woods,  to  procure  spruce-gum. 

•"  I  say,  Claude,"  sang  out  Maynard,  as  he  swung 
lazily  in  a  hammock,  a  book  in  his  hand,  which  he  only 
made  a  pretence  of  reading,  "  shall  we  go  over  to  Ches- 
ter's to-morrow?  Those  birds  will  not  keep  a  great 
while  this  kind  of  weather." 

"Yes,  I'll  go  if  you  will." 

"  We  can  start  the  first  thing  after  breakfast,  and  you 
can  let  St.  Clair  take  care  of  the  dishes." 

"Yes;  and  he  can  get  the  dinner  and  supper  also, 
for  we  should  not  get  back  until  night." 

"There  would  be  no  need  of  our  cany  ing  a  lunch, 
Claude  ;  we  could  get  dinner  at  Tom's." 

"  That's  so." 

"  Two  young  eagles  and  a  bear,  Frank,  —  we  shall 
collect  quite  a  menagerie  if  we  keep  on/' 

"You  are  right.     When  we  get  them  home  we  can 
start  a  ten-cent  museum." 

"  And  give  the  receipts  to  some  charitable  society,'' 
laughing  at  the  idea. 

"  How  much  longer  do  you  propose  to  camp  here, 
Claude?" 

"  I  don't  know.     I  am  not  at  all  particular.     Just  as 
the  rest  of  the  fellows  say." 

"  Suppose  we  move  up  the  river  next  week?" 

"  I  am  willing." 

"And  camp   somewhere   in   the   vicinity   of  Rump 
Pond." 

"  It  will  be  a  nuisance  getting  Nap  up  there." 


The  Two  Jokers.  165 

"Oh,  no.  I  can  take  him  through  the  woods  easy 
enough.  He  is  quite  tame  now  ;  bet  he'll  lead  as  quiet 
as  a  lamb.  He's  becoming  quite  a  civilized  bear." 

"Read  awhile,  will  you,  Frank?  I  want  to  take 
a  nap." 

"  Call  him  up  to  you  then." 

"  That  joke's  too  thin.  I'm  sleepy.  I  want  a 
snooze." 

"  Snooze  away,  then,  old  fellow,  and  I'll  worry 
through  a  chapter  of  my  book." 

When  the  gunners  returned,  about  five  o'clock,  they 
found  both  the  boys  asleep  in  their  hammocks,  and 
Maynard's  book  had  fallen  to  the  ground. 

Adams  and  Phil,  whispering  to  their  companions  to 
keep  quiet,  procured  a  couple  of  needles  from  a  pine 
nearby,  and,  softly  creeping  up  to  the  hammocks,  tickled 
the  ears  of  the  sleepers,  first  on  one  side,  and  then  on 
the  other,  causing  them  to  keep  busy  brushing  imagi- 
nary flies  away,  on  which  they  poured  a  shower  of  male- 
dictions. Finally  the  victims  of  the  pine  needles 
caught  sound  of  a  subdued  snicker  from  Wingate,  and, 
arising  to  a  sitting  posture  in  the  hammocks,  they  dis- 
covered the  flies  who  had  been  so  troublesome,  and 
were  greeted  with  a  shout  of  laughter  from  the  lookers- 
on  and  participants  in  the  sport. 

"  What  time  is  it? "  asked  Claude,  when  their  laugh- 
ter had  ceased. 

"  Time  you  were  getting  supper,"  suggested  Adams. 

' '  Poor  boy  !  —  he  was  born  hungry.  I  honestly  believe 
there  are  only  three  periods  of  time  for  you  in  the  cal- 
endar, and  they  are  breakfast-time,  dinner-time,  and 
supper-time.  You  ought  to  be  a  cook,  Adams,  and 


166  Wild  Woods  Life. 

then  you  could  eat  all  the  time."  And  Claude,  having 
delivered  himself  of  this  panegyric,  turned  out  of  the 
hammock,  and  proceeded  to  mix  up  some  dough  for 
biscuit,  while  St.  Clair  built  the  fire,  and  set  the  table. 

That  evening,  in  the  social  circle,  as  the  boys  called 
their  after-supper  chats,  Maynard  spoke  of  changing 
their  camping-ground  to  some  point  up  the  river  on  the 
following  Monday  ;  and,  a  majority  of  his  friends  being 
in  favor  of  it,  it  was  decided  to  do  so. 

Friday,  as  soon  as  they  had  eaten  their  breakfast, 
Claude  and  Maynard  started  for  Tom  Chester's,  carry- 
ing the  two  dead  eagles.  As  each  of  the  birds  weighed 
about  twenty  pounds  they  found  it  a  tiresome  tramp, 
and  had  to  rest  frequently.  Claude  carried  his  gun,  and 
Frank  his  rifle,  as  they  did  not  know  what  they  might 
run  across  while  on  the  carry.  It  was  half-past  seven 
when  they  left  camp,  and  nearly  twelve  when  they 
reached  the  shores  of  Second  Lake.  They  were  fortu- 
nate enough  to  find  a  boat  at  the  landing,  and,  getting 
into  it,  rowed  to  camp.  Tom  was  surprised  and  pleased 
to  see  the  two  boys,  and  while  he  was  listening  to  the 
account  of  their  fight  with  the  eagles,  Norton  came  in, 
and  they  had  to  begin  the  story  again  for  his  benefit. 
When  they  had  finished,  Claude  asked  Norton  if  he 
could  mount  the  birds  for  them  ;  and  the  taxidermist  told 
him  he  could.  The  boys  then  arranged  with  him  to 
set  them  up  properly,  and  send  them  to  their  homes  in 
Boston,  by  way  of  Colebrook,  by  express,  and  gave  him 
their  address. 

Norton  said  the  eagles  were  splendid  specimens, 
and  he  wished  he  owned  them,  offering  to  buy  one 
or  both,  but  the  boys  would  not  sell  them. 


At  Second  Lake.  167 

Claude  had  brought  over  all  their  mail  from  camp, 
and,  giving  it  to  Norton,  asked  him  to  send  it  out  the 
first  opportunity  he  had  ;  and  Ned  promised  he  would. 
By  this  time  dinner  was  ready,  and  the  boys  were 
not  sorry  to  hear  the  call. 

As  they  arose  from  the  table  Chester  asked  them 
if  they  did  not  want  some  caribou  meat,  and,  Claude 
replying  in  the  affirmative,  the  old  man  brought  them 
two  junks,  weighing  about  ten  pounds  each.  Norton 
procured  some  stout  twine,  and,  making  a  hole  in 
one  end  of  each  piece  of  venison,  tied  the  string  in,  so 
they  could  carry  it  on  their  gun-barrels  after  they  left 
the  boat. 

"Whose  boat  was  that  we  took,  —  yours,  Mr. 
Chester?"  asked  Maynard,  when  they  were  ready 
to  start. 

"  No ;  it  belongs  to  two  explorers  who  went  over 
there  this  morning  to  look  up  timber.  You  want  to 
leave  it  where  you  found  it." 

"We  shall,"  replied  Claude,  and  then,  bidding  the 
two  hunters  good-by,  launched  the  boat  and  rowed 
across  the  lake.  Reaching  the  shore  they  hauled  the 
boat  carefully  out,  and  Maynard,  looking  at  his  watch, 
announced  the  time  as  half-past  two. 

"  Then  we  shall  fetch  camp  by  six  o'clock,"  said 
Claude,  as  he  threw  his  gun  over  his  shoulder,  with 
the  piece  of  caribou  dangling  from  it. 

His  companion  shouldered  his  rifle  and  the  other 
piece  of  venison,  and,  without  further  comments, 
started  for  the  eastern  end  of  the  carry.  Nothing  un- 
usual transpired  on  the  way,  and  at  quarter  of  six  they 
reached  the  lake,  and  found  the  "Fairy"  where  they 


168  Wild  Woods  Life. 

had  left  her.  A  moment  later  she  was  gliding  over 
the  placid  waters  of  Parmachenee,  and  at  quarter-past 
six  were  at  the  camp. 

They  found  the  boys  all  at  home,  and  supper  all 
ready,  only  awaiting  their  arrival.  After  putting  the 
meat  in  a  safe  place,  and  washing  up,  they  told  St. 
Clair  they  were  ready  to  eat,  and  the  boys  took  their 
places  at  the  table. 

"  We  will  have  a  piece  of  roast  caribou  for  dinner, 
to-morrow,  boys,"  said  Claude. 

"  And  you  can  thank  Tom  Chester  for  it,"  added 
Maynard. 

"  Bully  for  Tom  !  "  put  in  Adams. 

"It  is  some  time  since  we  have  tasted  fresh  meat," 
remarked  Wingate. 

"  Confound  your  meat!  Who  cares  for  meat  when 
you  can  get  trout  ? "  and  Le  Roy  glanced  around  the  table. 

"  The  trout  are  nice,"  answered  Phil;  "but  then  a 
fellow  don't  want  to  eat  them  twenty-one  times  a  week. 
Variety  is  the  spice  of  life,  you  know." 

"  And  life  is  the  essence  of  existence,"  smiled 
Claude. 

"  Say  that  again,  will  you,  Claude?"  and  then  added, 
as  he  winked  at  the  others,  "  Perhaps  it  will  be  too 
much  of  an  effort  for  you." 

"Is  it  copyrighted  yet?"  inquired  Adams,  with 
mock  earnestness. 

"What  are  we  going  to  do  to-morrow?"  interro- 
gated Phil,  of  no  one  in  particular,  as  the  party  rose 
from  the  table. 

"  Eat ! "  declared  Adams,  with  a  laugh,  in  which 
his  friends  joined.  "  Give  us  a  harder  one,  Phil." 


AN  OBSTACLE. 


An  Evening  Amusement,  171 

"Nonsense!  You  know  what  I  mean.  Where 
are  we  going?  " 

"  Suppose  we  make  an  excursion  to  the  other  side 
of  the  lake  ;  go  to  Moose  Brook,  and  see  if  we  can 
find  anything  to  shoot,"  proposed  Claude. 

"  I  suppose  the  brook  was  called  Moose  Brook 
because  there  was  never  a  moose  anywhere  near  it," 
suggested  Maynard. 

"  I  am  in  for  anything,"  said  Wingate,  "  except  loaf- 
ing in  camp  all  day  " 

"  Suppose  we  have  some  recitations  to  night,  fel- 
lows, to  vary  the  programme,"  suggested  St.  Clair, 
when  the  camp-fh'e  had  been  lighted. 

"A  good  idea,"  agreed  Adams ;  "seven  recitations 
will  fill  up  the  evening  nicely." 

"  Go  ahead,  St.  Clair ;  you  must  break  the  ice,  as 
you  had  the  honor  of  making  the  proposition  "  ;  and 
Claude  gave  his  assistant  a  punch  in  the  ribs  to  help 
him  on  to  his  feet. 

"No,  no,  —  age  before  beauty.     Lead  off,  Claude." 

"  If  you  are  going  to  hang  fire  that  way,  I  will. 
We  don't  want  any  of  the  girls'  '  I  never  can  play 
without  my  music '  spirit  developed  in  this  crowd ; 
and,  without  further  circumlocution,  Claude  recited 
"Hamlet's  Soliloquy." 

He  was  followed  by  Adams  in  a  humorous  piece, 
which  he  announced  as  "The  Hungry  Man  ";  which 
was  received  with  shouts  of  laughter  from  his 
friends. 

Then  Maynard,  so  to  speak,  "  took  the  stage,"  and 
wanned  himself  and  his  hearers  up  with  "  Spartacus 
to  the  Gladiators." 


172  Wild  Woods  Life, 

St.  Clair  gave  "  Rollo's  Address  to  the  Peruvian 
Army." 

Wingate  repeated  Whittier's  "Slave  Ships,"  in  a  very 
fine  manner,  and  the  boys  applauded  him  lustily. 

Phil  improvised  an  address  on  temperance,  which 
was  really  a  good  thing  for  a  boy  of  his  age,  and 
Claude  told  him  he  ought  to  go  on  the  lecture-plat- 
form. 

Le  Roy  wound  up  the  evening's  circle  by  a  parody 
on  "The  boy  stood  on  the  burning  deck";  and  as 
none  of  the  boys  had  ever  heard  it,  and  it  was  ex- 
ceedingly funny,  caused  them  all  to  roar  with 
laughter. 

The  company  then  broke  up,  and,  retiring  to  the 
tent,  were  soon  insensible  to  all  of  the  mysterious 
noises  of  the  night. 

Saturday  morning,  after  breakfast  and  the  camp 
work  were  over,  the  boys  launched  the  three  boats, 
and,  rowing  leisurely  among  the  islands  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  lake,  gained  the  eastern  shore,  and  followed 
it  down  to  Moose  Brook,  a  little  below  the  outlet  of 
which  they  landed.  Each  one  had  brought  his  gun  or 
rifle,  and,  after  lifting  the  boats  carefully  out  on  shore, 
they  started  into  the  forest,  spreading  out  in  a  line 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width,  all  hands  keeping  a 
good  lookout  for  game. 

Small  birds  and  squirrels  were  all  that  greeted  their 
sight,  however,  and  as  they  were  of  no  use  to  them  they 
would  not  kill  them,  and  at  one  o'clock  they  reached 
the  lake,  not  one  of  the  party  having  fired  a  shot. 

"  A  dry  day  this,"  remarked  Claude,  as  the  boys 
rowed  homewards. 


Chasing  a  Deer  on  the  Lake.  173 

"  Dry  as  an  old  toper  who  hasn't  had  a  drink  for  a 
week,"  acquiesced  Phil,  who  was  in  the  same  boat. 

After  all  their  poor  success  the  day  proved  an  event- 
ful one. 

As  the  boats  rounded  the  northern  end  of  the  island, 
on  which  now  stands  Danforth's  Camp,  a  large  buck 
was  seen  to  take  to  the  water  and  swim  toward  the 
north-western  corner  of  the  lake,  in  almost  a  bee-line 
for  their  camp. 

"A  deer!  a  deer!"  shouted  Phil,  who  saw  him 
first. 

"  Where?  "  demanded  Claude,  turning  his  head  and 
looking  in  the  direction  where  Phil  pointed  ;  "  oh,  I 
see!"  and,  quickening  his  strokes,  sent  the  "Fairy" 
through  the  water  as  if  she  were  a  thing  of  life. 

"Would  you  try  him,  Claude?"  sang  out  Maynard 
from  the  "  Go  Ahead,"  that  was  close  behind.  "  I 
think  I  can  reach  him  with  my  rifle." 

"  Don't  you  believe  we  can  overhaul  him,  and  capt- 
ure him  alive?  "  suggested  Claude. 

"Let's  try  it,"  said  Adams,  from  the  "Water 
Witch." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  added  Le  Roy,  excitedly  ;  "  and  if  we 
can't  catch  him,  then  we'll  shoot  him." 

"  All  right ;  I'll  tell  you  my  plan  "  ;  and  Claude,  who 
had  rapidly  thought  the  matter  over,  ordered  Maynard 
and  Le  Roy,  who  were  in  the  "  Go  Ahead,"  to  follow 
the  buck  up,  but  to  keep  between  him  and  the  island, 
while  he  would  try  and  get  the  "  Fairy"  between  the 
deer  and  the  shore  where  he  was  heading,  and  turn  him 
away  from  it ;  and  told  St.  Clair,  who  was  rowing  the 
"  Water  Witch,"  to  get  to  camp  as  soon  as  possible  and 


174  Wild  Woods  Life. 

get  the  piece  of  rope  with  which  they  had  captured 
Nap,  and  bring  it  out  as  quickly  as  he  could,  and  close 
up  on  the  deer  with  them  if  they  succeeded  in  cornering 
him,  and  throw  a  noose  over  his  head. 

As  soon  as  he  had  finished  shouting  his  directions, 
Claude  applied  himself  to  the  oars,  and  pulled  for  all  he 
was  worth,  and  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  hearing 
Phil,  who  steered  with  the  paddle,  say  that  they  were 
rapidly  gaining  on  the  nimble  ranger  of  the  forest.  In 
twenty  minutes  the  "  Fairy"  shot  by  the  deer,  and  the 
buck,  seeing  the  boat  between  himself  and  the  shore, 
turned  for  a  point  of  land  below  him  ;  but  Claude 
headed  him  off  once  more,  and,  to  get  away  from  the 
boat,  he  turned  toward  the  island  again.  Before  he  had 
gone  any  great  distance,  the  "  Go  Ahead  "  checked  him 
in  that  direction,  and  he  headed  squarely  down  the  lake  ; 
but  Frank,  who  was  rowing,  soon  passed  him  on  this 
tack,  and  again  the  "  Go  Ahead  "  hindered  his  advance. 

Then  he  turned  toward  the  west  shore  again  ;  but 
Claude  was  too  quick  for  him,  and  he  was  not  able  to 
effect  a  landing  ;  and,  becoming  bewildered,  he  swam  a 
short  distance,  first  one  way,  and  then  the  other,  and 
sometimes  would  make  a  circle,  while  the  boys  excitedly 
watched  his  every  movement. 

The  "Water  Witch"  was  now  discerned  coming 
toward  them  ;  and  as  soon  as  Claude  could  make  its 
crew  hear  him,  he  shouted  to  them  to  close  in  on  the 
deer,  while  he  and  Frank  did  the  same  thing. 

When  the  "  Water  Witch  "  was  within  a  few  rods  of 
the  buck,  Claude  and  Frank  turned  him  toward  the 
other  boat,  where  Adams  stood  in  the  bow  with  the 
rope,  all  ready  to  throw  a  noose  over  the  deer's  head. 


Capture  of  the  Buck.  175 

His  boat  soon  drew  alongside  the  animal,  and,  with  one 
well-directed  cast,  Adams  lassoed  him. 

"Hurrah!  Good  for  you,  Adams!  Bully  boy!" 
exclaimed  the  other  boys. 

"  Give  him  line  now,"  directed  Claude,  "  and  let  him 
put  for  the  shore.  But  be  careful  he  don't  upset  the 
boat.  You  had  better  row  a  little,  Wingate,  so  he 
won't  have  to  drag  your  boat ;  he  must  be  getting  rather 
tired,  and  we  don't  want  to  drown  him." 

The  u  Fairy"  and  the  "Go  Ahead"  now  closed  up 
with  the  "  Water  Witch,"  so  the  boys  could  converse, 
"  without  bawling  their  beads  off,"  as  Claude  expressedit. 

The  deer  swam  straight  to  shore,  landing  near  the 
camp.  As  soon  as  he  reached  shallow  water  he  waded 
fast,  and,  as  he  struck  dry  land,  started  on  the  gallop, 
hauling  Adams  head-first  out  of  the  boat.  St.  Clair 
dropped  his  oars,  and,  followed  by  Le  Roy,  jumped 
out  of  the  boat,  arid  caught  hold  of  the  rope  ;  and  the 
three  boys  prevented  the  buck  from  getting  any  farther 
away.  The  other  boats'  crews  now  landed,  and 
Claude  and  Maynard  took  hold  of  the  rope,  and  the 
deer  was  led  to  a  tree  near  the  tents,  and  the  rope  was 
fastened  securely,  leaving  about  ten  feet  of  slack  line. 
While  this  was  being  done  Wingate  and  Phil  secured 
the  boats,  and  then  joined  their  companions. 

"  Now,  what  shall  we  have  to  feed  this  fellow  on?" 
inquired  St.  Clair,  as  the  group  stood  looking  at  their 
new  captive.  "  He  won't  eat  fish  ;  he  needs  a  different 
kind  of  a  diet." 

"  Feed  him  on  grass  and  lily-pads,"  replied  Claude. 

"  He's  a  large  one,"  asserted  Maynard.  "  What  a 
splendid  set  of  antlers  he  carries ! " 


176  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  We  shall  have  venison  in  camp  all  the  time  now," 
facetiously  remarked  Adams. 

"  We  were  lucky  to  take  him  alive,"  declared  Phil ;  "  I 
don't  imagine  that  many  deer  are  captured  that  way." 

"  Nor  I,  either,"  added  Le  Roy  ;  "  but,  Claude,  don't 
you  think  we  had  better  have  supper?" 

"  It  is  time  we  were  getting  it  underway,"  remarked 
the  cook.  "  St.  Clair,  see  if  the  beans  are  all  right, 
will  you,  and  I'll  set  the  table." 

As  they  gathered  around  the  table  Adams  ventured 
to  say  "  that  the  day's  sport  had  cost  them  deer"  ;  but 
the  remark  was  greeted  with  such  a  torrent  of  hisses  and 
groans  that  he  did  not  dare  to  joke  farther  on  the 
subject. 

"  I  resign  my  commission,  my  time  is  up,"  declared 
Claude,  when  the  boys  were  seated  around  the  camp 
fire.  "  Now,  who  is  to  be  cook  next  week?" 

"  St.  Clair  !  "  they  all  shouted. 

"  Mr.  Andrew  St.  Clair,"  said  Claude,  as  he  arose, 
with  mock  gravity,  "  I  have  the  pleasure  to  announce 
that  you  are  honored  with  a  unanimous  election  to  the 
office  of  cook  to  this  party,  and  may  you  always  be  able 
to  give  us  a  square  meal." 

"  Hurrah  for  the  new  cook  !  "  cried  Adams,  taking 
off  his  hat  and  swinging  it  in  the  air,  and  three  rousing 
cheers  were  given. 

"  Speech  !  speech  !  "  shouted  several  of  the  boys. 

St.  Clair,  thus  called  upon,  sprang  to  his  feet,  and, 
bowing  to  the  circle,  said  :  — 

"  My  friends,  it  is  not  within  the  limits  of  a  Webster's 
Unabridged  to  furnish  words  with  which  I  can  express 
my  sense  of  the  high  honor  conferred  upon  me. 


The  New  Cook's  Speech.  177 

In  all  ages  and  in  all  countries  cooks  have  been  ex- 
alted, and  the  best  chefs  have  always  been  persons  of 
influence  and  position.  The  cook  everywhere  is  mas- 
ter of  the  situation.  I  might  almost  say  that  he  makes 
the  man.  Let  a  cook  give  a  king  a  poor  dinner,  and 
he  is  indirectly  responsible  for  a  multitude  of  woes  ;  for 
if  a  king's  stomach  is  out  of  order,  or  disgusted  by  an 
unsatisfactory  dinner,  all  the  tiger  in  him  awakes,  and 
he  commits  acts,  which  at  the  time  he  is  scarcely 
responsible  for.  [Cheers.]  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
under  the  influence  of  a  well-cooked  dinner,  the  better 
nature  of  the  king  is  brought  to  the  surface,  and  he 
pardons  and  rewards  with  a  generosity  most  com- 
mendable. No,  gentlemen,  it  is  not  the  king  who 
rules  his  empire,  strange  as  this  may  seem  ;  but  his 
cook.  [Great  applause.]  A  man  will  sacrifice  a  great 
deal  for  his  stomach.  Vanderbilt  is  bound  by  a  cook 
to  whom  he  pays  five  thousand  dollars  a  year,  simply 
that  the  great  man  may  get  the  right  flavor  to  his 
tripe  and  liver,  and  have  his  hash  served  up  minus 
hairs  and  collar-buttons.  [Laughter.]  Look  at  any 
lady  in  society.  Is  she  the  boss  of  her  own  house  ?  Not 
much.  The  cook  rules  it  with  a  rod  of  iron,  and  the 
mistress  is  as  dependant  on  the  cook  as  a  week-old 
baby  on  its  mother ;  while  the  master  of  the  house,  as 
compared  with  the  boss  of  the  kitchen,  is  a  mere  non- 
entity. [Cheers.]  That  cooks  have  their  faults  at 
times  I  will  not  deny.  They  have  been  known  to  get 
drunk  on  wine-sauce,  and  to  even  leave  the  home  of 
their  employers  writh  all  the  silver  ware  done  up  in  a 
table-cloth.  It  has  been  rumored  that  Ben  Butler  was 
cooking  when  he  was  accused  of  borrowing  the  spoons  ; 


178  Wild   Woods  Life. 

but,  as  the  general  is  not  here  to  conduct  his  defence, 
we  will  pass  that  part  of  the  subject.  [Laughter.] 
It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  cooks  oftentimes  have  to 
undergo  great  sacrifices,  in  the  interests  of  their  employ- 
ers, by  eating  the  best  of  everything  before  a  company 
dinner  is  placed  on  the  table,  and  then  suffer  from  the 
bellyache  in  consequence.  [Laughter.]  There  are 
several  kinds  of  cooks,  I  would  have  you  know, 
gentlemen,  —  cooks  known  to  fame,  and  cooks  whose 
next-door  neighbor  don't  bow  to  them  on  the  street ; 
restaurant  cooks  and  hotel  cooks ;  club  cooks  and 
private  cooks ;  cooks  on  Pullman  cars  and  cooks  off  of 
them  ;  cooks  on  a  vessel  and  cooks  on  shore  ;  but,  if  I 
have  not  already  exhausted  the  subject,  I  have  talked 
myself  hoarse,  and  will  end  by  saying,  that  during  my 
week's  service  it  will  be  my  pleasure  to  serve  up  the 
hash  in  as  satisfactory  a  manner  for  this  crowd  as 
possible,  having  due  regard  for  their  digestive  appara- 
tus." [Cheers  and  applause.] 

"  St.  Clair  must  have  an  assistant,"  remarked  Claude, 
as  Andrew  sat  down,  "  and  I  move  that  our  friend 
Adams  be  elevated  to  that  position.  All  in  favor  of  it 
will  please  say  Aye.  Adams,  you  need  not  vote." 

A  chorus  of  "  Ayes  "  followed  Claude's  remark. 

The  whole  party  felt  rather  tired  after  their  day's 
excursion,  and  about  nine  o'clock  adjourned  to  the  tent, 
Claude  and  Maynard  first  taking  a  look  at  their  new 
acquisition,  — the  buck,  — to  see  if  he  was  all  right. 

There  was  very  little  talk  after  the  boys  sought  their 
blankets,  and  half  an  hour  after  they  had  retired  there 
was  silence  in  the  camp,  except  when  it  was  broken  by 
the  snore  of  some  unusually  tired  sleeper. 


Moving  Camp.  179 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  Rainy  Sunday.  —  Moving  up  River.  —  A  Tramp  through  the 
Woods  with  Nap  and  Lightfoot. —  A  Good  Supper.  — Around  the 
Camp-fire.  —  A  Mysterious  Alarm. — A  Bad  Shot. —  Plenty  of 
Venison.  —  Claude  and  Phil  visit  Chester's  Camp.  —  Visitors.  — 
Tough  Yarns.  —  Ascent  of  Camel's  Rump.  —  Discovery  of  a 
Cave. — The  Skeleton.  —  Frightened  by  a  Bat.  —  Table-talk. — 
Return  of  Claude  and  Phil. 

WHEN  the  camp  awoke  to  life,  Sunday  morning,  the 
boys  found  a  cloudy  sky,  and  the  clouds  low  on  the 
mountains  around  them.  Hardly  had  they  finished 
breakfast  when  it  began  to  rain,  and  the  water-shed 
continued  until  night,  keeping  the  boys  prisoners  in 
their  tent  throughout  the  clay. 

The  new  cook  met  with  some  difficulty  in  preparing 
dinner  amid  a  drenching  rain,  but  did  better  than  could 
have  been  expected,  under  the  circumstances,  and 
although  the  boys  appreciated  and  applauded  his 
efforts,  he  was  none  the  less  glad  that  the  rain  stopped 
at  five  o'clock,  enabling  him  to  get  supper  without 
taking  a  shower-bath. 

Monday  morning  dawned  bright  and  pleasant,  and 
breakfast  was  eaten  early.  As  the  tents  were  wet  from 
the  rain  of  the  day  before  they  were  left  standing,  and 
the  three  boats  were  loaded  with  the  stove,  the  table, 
cooking  utensils,  blankets,  the  axes,  lantern,  some 
stores,  and  whatever  they  considered  indispensable. 
The  "Menagerie,"  to  use  Phil's  words,  was  fed,  and  at 


180  Wild  Woods  Life. 

eight  o'clock  they  started  up  river.  When  they 
reached  Little  Boy's  Falls  everything  had  to  be  un- 
loaded and  carried  around,  including  the  boats  ;  and  it 
was  not  until  noon  that  they  reached  the  vicinity  of 
Spruce  Pond,  but  a  short  distance  from  Rump  Pond, 
where  they  concluded  to  camp. 

St.  Clair  cooked  the  dinner,  and  at  three  o'clock 
they  started  on  the  return,  reaching  the  tents  at  seven, 
and  found  everything  as  they  had  left  it.  It  was  dark 
before  supper  was  over,  and  the  whole  party  retired  to 
bed  a  little  after  eight,  completely  done  up  with  the 
labors  of  the  day.  They  slept  later  than  they  meant  to 
Tuesday  morning,  and  it  was  ten  o'clock  before  they 
were  ready  to  leave.  The  tents  and  everything  else 
were  taken  this  time,  including  the  box  containing  the 
young  eagles.  The  bear  and  deer  now  proved  a 
decided  nuisance,  for  there  was  no  way  to  move  them 
except  to  lead  them  through  the  woods,  and  that 
meant  a  hard  tramp  for  some  one.  The  boys  were 
more  than  half  inclined  to  kill  them  ;  but,  after  a  long 
debate,  concluded  to  take  them  to  their  new  quarters. 
Maynard  offering  to  lead  the  bear  alone,  if  any  one 
would  lead  the  deer.  As  the  buck  was  not  so  tame  as 
the  bear,  Claude  and  Phil  volunteered  to  try  and  get 
him  up  river,  and  the  other  four  boys  started  in  the 
boats. 

It  was  agreed  that  whichever  party  reached  the 
camping-ground  first  should  come  back  and  meet  the 
other,  and  help  them,  if  necessary.  Claude  told  his 
friends  who  were  going  in  the  boats,  that  the  shore 
party  would  follow  the  west  bank  of  the  river  until 
they  reached  Little  Boy's  Falls,  and  crossing  near  there 


Moving  the  Animals.  181 

would  continue  on  up  the  east  bank.  With  this  un- 
derstanding the  boating-party  rowed  away. 

Before  starting  with  the  deer  Claude  and  Phil  gave 
him  a  handful  of  salt,  and  Nap  was  also  treated  to  a 
biscuit  well  covered  with  molasses,  of  which  latter 
article  he  was  very  fond.  The  boys  were  armed,  not 
knowing  what  emergency  might  arise. 

They  started  off  in  good  spirits,  the  animals  behaving 
better  than  they  had  expected.  Indeed,  Nap  marched 
like  an  old  soldier,  and  kept  close  on  Maynard's  heels, 
without  offering  to  molest  him.  The  deer,  however, 
was  a  little  nervous,  and  would  start  occasionally  at 
some  noise,  and  show  a  disposition  to  break  away  ; 
but  Claude  and  Phil  were  patient  with  it,  and  the 
party  made  fair  progress. 

At  eleven  o'clock  they  reached  the  river,  and  at  one 
crossed  it,  a  short  distance  below  Little  Boy's  Falls. 
The  deer  crossed  it  without  trouble,  and  both  the 
animals  were  allowed  to  drink  here.  Bruin,  after 
drinking,  showed  considerable  reluctance  to  enter  the 
stream,  and  it  was  not  without  considerable  coaxing  on 
Maynard's  part  that  the  bear  finally  waded  to  the  other 
side. 

Just  beyond  Otter  Creek  they  met  Wingate  and 
Le  Roy,  who  had  come  back  to  assist  them,  and 
who  informed  them  that  they  had  reached  camp  all 
right,  that  the  tents  were  set  up,  the  things  stored 
away,  and  that  St.  Clair  and  Adams  were  busy  getting 
supper. 

"That  is  the  best  news  I  have  heard  for  a  month," 
declared  Claude.  "  I  believe  for  once  that  I  am  as  hun- 
gry as  ever  Adams  was." 


182  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"Hungry!"  echoed  Phil;  "I  could  eat  a  hand- 
spike." 

"How  have  the  animils  behaved?"  inquired  Win- 
gate,  mimicking  Tom  Chester's  pronunciation  of  the 
word. 

"Very  well,"  replied  Maynard.  "Nap  set  out  to 
get  up  on  his  ear  when  \ve  crossed  the  river,  but  I 
coaxed  him  out  of  it." 

"  Where  did  you  cross?"  queried  Le  Roy. 

"A  little  way  below  Little  Boy's  Falls." 

"  I'd  like  to  know  how  those  falls  obtained  their 
name,"  remarked  Claude. 

"  Give  it  up,"  returned  Phil. 

"  It's  three  o'clock,"  said  Wingate,  consulting  his 
watch  ;  "  we  had  better  be  moving." 

Two  hours  more  brought  them  to  the  camp,  and  Nap 
and  the  deer  were  securely  fastened. 

St.  Clair  told  them  that  he  could  have  supper  any 
time  they  were  ready,  and  the  boys  washed  up,  while 
the  food  was  being  put  on  the  table,  and  at  half-past 
five  they  sat  down  to  a  pretty  fair  spread  for  the  woods. 
St.  Clair  had  not  been  satisfied  with  his  Sunday's  din- 
ner, although  the  storm  was  to  blame  for  its  deficien- 
cies, and  he  regaled  them  on  fried  trout,-  broiled  cari- 
bou, fried  and  mashed  potatoes,  canned  peas,  hot  bis- 
cuit, raspberry  short-cake,  and  canned  plums. 

"  There's  nothing  bad  about  this,"  declared  Claude, 
who,  having  eaten  half-a-dozen  small  trout,  now  helped 
himself  to  some  of  the  caribou.  "  I  think  my  mantle 
has  fallen  upon  a  worthy  successor." 

"  I  agree  with  you  ;"  and  Maynard,  with  his  mouth 
full,  winked  at  St.  Clair  in  a  very  appreciative  manner. 


Christening  the  Deer.  183 

The  boys  sat  long  at  the  table  that  evening,  and  thor- 
oughly enjoyed  the  meal ;  and  when  they  had  finished, 
St.  Clair  told  them  that  neither  Adams  nor  himself  had 
found  time  to  cut  up  any  camp- wood  ;  and  while  the 
cook  and  his  assistant  cleared  up  the  dishes  and  fed  the 
menagerie  the  other  boys  supplied  the  fuel. 

"  It's  about  time  that  deer  was  christened,"  remarked 
Claude,  as  the  boys  drew  up  to  the  camp-fire,  and  each 
settled  himself  in  the  most  comfortable  position. 

"  So  say  we  all  of  us,"  sang  Phil. 

"Call  him  Steamboat,"  suggested  Maynard ;  "he 
snorts  like  a  Mississippi  steamer  when  he  gets  fright- 
ened." 

"  Call  him  Rusher,"  laughed  Adams  ;  "  he  rushed 
me  out  of  the  boat  pretty  lively  the  day  we  caught 
him." 

"  Call  him  Venison,"  said  Le  Roy,  with  a  chuckle. 

"  Call  your  granny  Venison,"  sneered  St.  Clair. 
"What  kind  of  a  name  do  you  call  that?" 

"  You  can  call  her  that,  if  you  wish,"  retorted  Le 
Roy;  "anyway  she  is  old,  deer  meat." 
•  A  roar  of  laughter  greeted  this  sally,  while  Wingate 
began  to  look  about  for  a  club. 

"  Suppose  we  call  him  Lightfoot.  I  am  sure  that 
would  be  appropriate  "  ;  and  Phil  glanced  around  him 
for  an  expression  of  opinion. 

"You  have  it,"  nodded  Claude.  "That's  a  good 
name  for  him;"  and,  there  being  no  dissenting  voice, 
the  deer  was  known  in  the  future  as  Lightfoot. 

"  Say,  fellows,"  —  arid  Adams  looked  from  one  to  the 
other,  — ' '  can  you  tell  me  who  was  the  straightest  man  in 
the  Bible?" 


184  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"What  do  you  take  us  for,  —  a  minstrel  troupe?" 
queried  Wingate. 

"I  take  you  for  all  you  are  worth,  as  the  man  said 
when  he  married  a  rich  wife ;  but  can  you  answer  my 
conundrum  ?  " 

"  Give  it  up,"  cried  several  voices. 

"  Joseph  was." 

"Why?"  asked  Claude. 

"  Because  Pharaoh  made  a  ruler  of  him." 

The  boys  all  smiled,  and  St.  Clair,  who  sat  next  to 
Adams,  patted  him  on  the  back. 

"  Let  me  alone,"  cried  Adams.  "  I've  got  another 
one  for  you." 

"Put  him  out,"  shouted  Wingate,  from  the  farther 
end  of  the  circle. 

"  Put  some  ice  on  his  head,  and  keep  him  quiet, 
can't  you?"  laughed  Phil. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  "  — 

"  Of  course  I  can,"  broke  in  Maynard. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  why  an  infirm  old  man  is  like  a 
musical  character  ?  " 

"  Because  he's  a  sharp." 

"  Because  he's  a  flat." 

"  Because  he  is  sometimes  found  near  a  bar." 

"  Because  he  takes  a  rest." 

"  No,  you  are  all  wrong.  It  is  because  each  requires 
a  staff." 

A  chorus  of  groans  greeted  the  answer. 

"  If  the  rest  of  you  are  not  tired  I  am,  and  I'm  going 
to  bed,"  and  Claude  arose  with  a  yawn,  and  went  into 
the  tent. 

The  boys  sat  a  short  time  longer,  and  then  feeling 


A  Nights  Disturbance.  185 

sleepy  and  tired,  for  the  work  of  the  last  two  days  had 
been  the  hardest  they  had  experienced  since  leaving 
home,  left  the  camp-fire  to  snap  and  flicker  itself  out, 
and  throw  fantastic  shadows  on  the  dark  woods  around. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  they  were  awakened  by  a 
terrible  racket,  and  starting  up,  alarmed,  they  rushed 
out-doors  without  waiting  to  dress. 

The  deer  showed  considerable  excitement,  and 
snorted  and  whistled  like  a  steam-engine,  while  Nap 
growled  and  walked  about  uneasily,  as  if  something  or 
somebody  had  interfered  with  his  dreams. 

"What's  the  row?" 

"  What  was  that  noise?  " 

"  What  is  it?"  cried  the  boys,  peering  into  the  dark- 
ness. But  the  questions  were  easier  asked  than 
answered.  Nothing  unusual  was  in  sight,  and  Claude 
and  Maynard  dressed,  and,  lighting  a  lantern,  made  a 
tour  of  the  camp  ;  but  nothing  could  be  found  in  the 
way  of  tracks  or  other  signs  that  any  wild  animal  had 
been  near  the  camp,  and  the  cause  of  that  night's  dis- 
turbance was  always  a  mystery.  As  the  two  boys 
returned  to  the  tent,  and  undressed  again,  Maynard 
remarked,  that  he  guessed  Nap  had  been  troubled  with 
the  nightmare. 

The  next  day  Wingate  and  Le  Roy  carried  one  of  the 
boats  over  to  Rump  Pond,  and  spent  several  hours  in 
fishing,  catching  a  large  number  of  small  trout.  When 
they  returned  to  camp  they  left  the  boat  behind  them, 
thinking  that  some  others  of  the  party  might  also  like  to 
try  the  fishing  there. 

Claude,  Maynard,  and  Phil  took  some  lunch  with 
them,  and  their  fire-arms,  and  made  an  excursion  to 


186  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Caribou  Pond,  about  two  miles  distant  from  the  camp. 
They  followed  the  base  of  the  hill,  just  behind  their 
tenting-ground,  keeping  near  a  small  brook  that  emptied 
into  the  river  near  their  camp. 

They  saw  abundant  signs  of  deer  and  caribou,  as  they 
walked  along,  and  many  of  the  tracks  appeared  fresh. 
Reaching  the  pond  they  threw  themselves  clown  behind 
a  fallen  tree,  near  where  a  small  point  jutted  into  the 
watir,  and  lay  patiently  awaiting  what  Dame  Fortune 
might  bring  them.  For  an  hour  or  more  they  kept 
quiet,  only  conversing  in  whispers,  and  at  the  end  of 
that  time  a  noise,  as  of  some  heavy  animal  coming 
through  the  forest,  startled  them,  and,  peering  over  the 
prostrate  tree,  they  beheld  two  moose,  that  they  judged 
to  be  male  and  female,  come  out  on  the  point,  and 
wade  into  the  pond. 

"  Holy  mackerel !  "  exclaimed  Maynard,  —  "  two 
moose !  " 

"  That  is  game  with  a  vengeance,"  added  Claude. 
"  The  distance  is  a  little  long  for  my  gun  ;  you  and  Phil 
had  better  try  them.  Each  single  out  one." 

"  You  take  the  one  on  the  right,  and  I  will  the  one 
on  the  left,"  whispered  Frank. 

"All  right";  and  Phil  brought  his  rifle  to  his 
shoulder,  and  both  boys  fired  simultaneously.  Neither 
of  the  moose  dropped,  however,  but  both,  turning 
toward  the  wood*.,  started  on  the  shambling  trot  peculiar 
to  them.  As  they  left  the  water  Claude  fired,  impar- 
tially giving  one  barrel  to  each  of  the  animals  ;  but  it  did 
not  stop  their  progress  for  a  second. 

"  Well,  if  that  isn't  provoking  then  kick  me  for  a 
jackass  I  "  groaned  Frank,  as  the  boys  arose  to  their  feet 


Poor  Shots.  187 

and  slipped  fresh  cartridges  into  their  pieces.  "  A 
fellow  who  couldn't  hit  one  of  those  moose  with  a  rifle 
from  where  we  lay  couldn't  hit  a  barn-door  at  forty 
yards." 

"  Come  along  and  see  if  we  can  find  any  indication 
of  their  being  wounded  ;  "  and  Claude  leaped  over  the 
tree  and  ran  for  the  point,  his  friends  close  at  his  heels. 

Reaching  the  place  where  the  moose  had  left  the 
water  they  examined  the  ground  carefully,  as  well  as 
the  bushes  and  small  trees  in  the  vicinity,  but  could  find 
no  marks  of  blood,  and  were  forced  to  believe,  what  was 
an  evident  fact,  that  all  their  shots  had  been  futile. 

"  I  guess  we  had  better  practise  shooting  at  a  mark 
to-morrow,"  observed  Phil,  dryly,  as  the  boys  looked 
discontentedly  at  one  another. 

"  Better  luck  next  time,  I  hope,"  remarked  Claude, 
cheerfully,  rallying  from  the  disappointment ;  "  now  let's 
go  back  to  the  old  tree  and  eat  our  lunch.  There  may 
be  some  deer  come  in  here  by  and  by,  and  if  any  do 
we  will  see  if  we  can't  shoot  straighter." 

"  I  should  say  so,"  added  Frank,  as  he  followed  his 
two  friends  back  to  their  hiding-place. 

They  eat  their  dinner,  and  then  talked  in  whispers, 
while  they  lay  waiting  for  something  to  put  in  appear- 
ance. At  the  end  of  a  couple  of  hours  their  quiet  had 
become  monotonous,  and  they  were  just  talking  of 
returning  to  camp,  when  they  heard  a  rustling  in  the 
bushes,  and,  peeping  noiselessly  over  their  bulwark, 
beheld  a  medium-sized  deer  coming  out  of  the  forest, 
and  taking  the  water  between  them  and  the  point. 

"For  Heaven's  sake,  don't  miss  this  time,"  urged 
Claude  to  the  riflemen. 


188  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  If  I  do,  send  me  home  to-morrow,"  whispered 
Frank,  and  he  with  Phil,  taking  careful  aim,  fired.  The 
next  moment  the  deer  was  seen  to  drop,  but,  struggling 
to  his  feet,  made  a  few  uncertain  steps  that  brought  him 
just  clear  of  the  water. 

Claude  brought  his  gun  to  his  shoulder,  but  as  he  was 
about  to  press  the  trigger  the  animal  fell  again,  and  this 
time  remained  motionless.  Putting  his  piece  at  half- 
cock,  Claude  rushed  for  the  deer,  accompanied  by  his 
two  friends,  who  gave  vent  to  their  satisfaction  by 
shouts  of  triumph.  Reaching  the  fallen  animal,  which 
they  discovered  to  be  a  buck,  with  a  fair  set  of  horns, 
they  stooped  down  and  examined  him.  One  bullet  had 
gone  through  his  neck,  the  other  had  struck  him  just 
behind  the  fore-shoulder ;  and  the  blood  was  pouring 
from  both  wounds,  either  of  which  would  have  been 
sufficient  to  kill  him. 

u  Now  we  shall  have  some  fresh  meat,"  remarked 
Phil,  as  they  finished  their  examination  of  the  deer,  and, 
putting  his  hand  in  his  pockets,  brought  forth  a  piece  of 
line,  with  which  he  tied  the  animal's  feet  together. 
Meanwhile  Claude  found  a  young  maple,  which  he 
hacked  down  with  his  hunting-knife,  and,  trimming  it 
to  the  right  length,  run  it  between  the  buck's  feet,  and 
he  and  Phil  shouldered  it,  and  then  turned  homewards. 

With  one  end  of  the  pole  on  one  shoulder,  and  their 
guns  over  the  other,  the  two  boys  had  all  the  load  they 
cared  to  carry,  and  after  walking  about  fifteen  minutes 
Frank  spelled  Phil  at  -his  end  of  the  pole.  Taking  turns 
in  this  manner,  they  arrived  at  camp  about  five  o'clock, 
where  they  found  the  other  four  members  of  the  party, 
,who  cheered  lustily  when  they  saw  the  venison,  causing 


A   Triumphant  Return.  189 

Lightfoot  to  dance  around  the  tree  where  he  was  tied 
up,  as  if  a  hound  was  at  his  heels,  and  making  Nap 
watch  them  with  wide-open  eyes.  They  were  not  sorry 
to  drop  their  burden  and  take  a  rest. 

"Where  have  you  been,  fellows?"  inquired  St. 
Clair. 

"  Up  to  Caribou  Pond,"  returned  Claude. 

"Get  the  deer  there?" 

"  Yes." 

"  We  also  saw  a  couple  of  moose  that  we  didn't  get," 
remarked  Maynard. 

"  Get  a  shot  at  them?"  asked  Adams. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Phil ;  "  we  all  fired,  and  all  missed." 

"  I  never  was  so  provoked  in  my  life,"  added  Frank. 
"  They  were  just  the  right  distance  away,  and  how  we 
all  missed  them  is  more  than  I  can  account  for.  If 
only  Claude  and  Phil  had  missed  them  " —  with  a  smile, 
—  "I  should  not  have  thought  so  much  of  it ;  but  that 
I  should  fire  at  an  object  as  large  as  a  moose  at  that 
distance,  and  miss,  it  was  a  caulker  on  me." 

"  Great  I,"  laughed  Le  Roy. 

"  Tell  us  all  about  it,  Claude,"  urged  Wingate.  "  I 
will,  if  St.  Clair  and  Adams  will  hurry  up  the  supper, 
for  I'm  half  starved  ;"  and  he  gave  his  friends  a  detailed 
account  of  their  trip  from  the  time  they  left  camp  until 
their  return.  As  he  finished  his  story  St.  Clair  yelled 
"  Supper  !  "  in  a  tone  that  could  have  been  heard  half  a 
mile  away,  and  the  boys  rushed  for  the  table. 

They  had  been  blessed  with  a  good  appetite  from  the 
time  they  had  left  home,  and  could  eat  three  meals  a 
day  without  any  urging.  In  fact,  they  all  declared  that 
they  eat  three  times  as  much  in  the  woods  as  they  did 


190  Wild  Woods  Life. 

at  home,  and  from  personal  experience  I  know  they 
were  right  in  the  matter ;  hence  a  call  to  meals  was  al- 
ways hailed  with  satisfaction. 

After  supper  the  deer  was  dressed,  and  the  hide  and 
head  put  carefully  away  in  the  store-tent.  Phil  ex- 
pressed the  desire  to  have  the  head  set  up  and  the  skin 
tanned,  and  asked  Claude  if  he  would  accompany  him 
the  next  day  to  Chester's,  so  he  could  leave  it  there,  and 
have  it  sent  down  to  Norton,  at  Colebrook,  if  they  did 
not  find  him  at  camp. 

"  It  strikes  me,  Phil,  that  will  be  a  pretty  hard 
tramp." 

"  Not  very  hard.  Take  one  of  the  boats  down  river, 
and  walk  across  the  carry." 

"It  would  be  nearer  to  start  from  here  and  walk 
through  the  woods,"  suggested  Wingate. 

"  Don't  know  the  way,"  and  Claude  shook  his  head 
doubtfully.  "  The  farthest  way  round  is  the  nearest 
way  home  sometimes,  and  I  think  it  would  be  so  in  this 
case." 

"  We  could  keep  the  right  course  by  compass,"  added 
Phil. 

"  That  may  be ;  but  it  would  be  a  thundering  hard 
tramp,  all  the  same." 

"  You  can't  go  over  there  and  back  in  less  than  two 
days,"  said  Adams,  while  St.  Clair  was  of  the  opinion 
it  would  take  them  four. 

"I  should  not  hurry  any  if  we  went,"  declared 
Claude,  "  and  should  rather  be  four  days  than  two  do- 
ing it." 

Phil  was  very  anxious,  however,  to  get  the  head  and 
hide  out,  and,  after  talking  the  matter  over  the  most  of 


A   Tramp  through  the   Woods.  193 

the  evening,  Claude  agreed  to  go  with  him,  and  the 
boys  retired  to  rest. 

They  left  camp  Friday  morning  at  seven  o'clock, 
wishing  to  get  fairly  on  their  way  before  the  sun  was 
too  hot.  Claude  had  his  gun,  and  Phil  his  rifle,  and 
both  took  twenty-five  cartridges.  An  axe,  a  drinking- 
cup,  a  pocket  compass,  some  matches  in  a  small  phial, 
and  rations  for  six  good  meals,  completed  their  outfit. 

"  I  suppose  you'll  be  here,  Claude,  when  you  get 
back." 

"  I  guess  I  shall,  if  the  bears  don't  eat  us,  St.  Clair." 

"  I  shall  not  look  for  you  before  Sunday." 

"  I  guess  we  shall  get  back  surely  by  Saturday  night," 
said  Phil,  as  they  started  into  the  woods  in  a  south- 
westerly direction,  followed  by  the  "  good  lucks,"  and 
"  good-byes,"  of  their  companions. 

"Anybody  want  to  take  a  cruise  up  river?"  in- 
quired Maynard. 

"  I'll  go  with  you,"  said  Wingate. 

"Suppose  we  all  go,"  added  St.  Clair.  "Perhaps 
we  can  get  as  far  as  the  Forks.  They  can't  be  more 
than  six  or  eight  miles  above  here.  We  can  take  lunch 
with  us,  and  then  we  needn't  hurry  any." 

Le  Roy  expressed  his  willingness  to  make  one  of  the 
party  ;  but  Adams  concluded  to  stop  in  camp,  and  finish 
a  book  he  had  just  begun  reading,  that  he  was  very 
much  interested  in. 

About  nine   o'clock  the  exploring  party,  as  St.  Clair 

called  it,  left  camp  with  two  boats,  Maynard  and  St. 

'Clair  in  the  "Fairy,"  and  Wingate  and   Le  Roy  in  the 

"  Go  Ahead."     The  sail  up  the  river  was  beautiful,  the 

banks  being  for  the  most  part  high  and  fringed  on  either 


194  Wild  Woods  Life. 

hand  by  a  thick  forest.  The  Camel's  Rump  towered 
skyward  west  of  them,  while  northward  the  boundary 
mountains  barred  their  vision  in  that  direction.  They 
found  the  river  above  the  camp  as  crooked  as  it  was 
below,  and  it  was  turn  and  twist,  and  twist  and  turn, 
the  entire  distance.  Muskrat  were  plenty  along  their 
way,  and  they  shot  two,  but  did  not  pick  them  up. 
Frank  hoped  to  get  an  otter ;  but. they  did  not  see  any. 
They  noticed  a  number  of  red-headed  woodpeckers, 
kingbirds,  and  blue-jays,  and,  much  to  their  surprise, 
several  robins,  who  seemed  out  of  place  in  such  a 
wilderness. 

They  reached  the  Forks  at  one  o'clock,  and,  taking 
out  their  boats,  built  a  fire  and  warmed  a  pot  of  coffee 
they  had  brought  along  with  them,  and  then  eat  their 
lunch.  Having  satisfied  their  hunger  they  launched 
their  boats  and  turned  homeward.  As  they  floated 
down  the  river  they  noticed  more  particularly  the 
height  of  the  Camel's  Rump,  and  made  up  their  minds 
that  the  view  from  its  summit  would  well  repay  any- 
body for  the  climb,  and,  after  some  talk  about  the  matter, 
concluded  to  try  and  make  the  ascent  of  the  mountain 
the  next  day.  About  six  o'clock  they  reached  the 
camp,  and  found  that  Adams  had  company. 

Spoff  Flint,  of  whom  the  boys  had  bought  the  potatoes, 
and  an  old  hunter  by  the  name  of  Nay  Bennett,  were 
on  their  way  to  Arnold's  Bog,  and  had  turned  out  of 
their  course  to  pay  the  boys  a  visit.  They  were  invited 
to  stop  overnight,  and  signified  their  willingness  to, 
and  after  supper  paid  St.  Clair's  cooking  a  high  compli-' 
ment. 

In   the   evening,  around  the  camp-fire,  the  two   old 


Ascent  of  the  Camel's  Rump.  195 

hunters  entertained  them  with  hunting  adventures  until 
eleven  o'clock.  Spoff  began  with  a  bear-story,  and 
Nay  followed  with  an  account  of  a  moose-hunt.  Then 
SpofF  reeled  them  a  yarn  about  a  deer  that  he  had 
captured  one  winter  in  the  snow,  and  Nay  continued  with 
a  hair-breadth  escape  he  had  once  had  from  a  wild-cat. 
Story  followed  story,  each  narrator  trying  apparently  to 
see  who  could  tell  the  largest  one.  Knowing  that  the 
boys  were  green,  the  hunters  imposed  upon  their 
credulity  in  the  most  barefaced  manner  ;  but  they  were 
so  used  to  spinning  large  stories  that  they  probably 
forgot  they  were  not  telling  the  truth  more  than  half  the 
time.  The  hunters  were  good  talkers,  however,  and,  in 
spite  of  occasional  doubts,  the  boys  enjoyed  the  stories 
hugely.  In  the  morning,  after  breakfast,  the  hunters 
took  another  look  at  Nap  and  Lightfoot,  and  Spoff 
telling  the  boys  to  stop  and  see  him  when  they  went 
downriver,  bade  them  "  Good-by,"  and,  calling  to  Nay, 
stepped  into  their  canoe  and  paddled  away.  Nay  told 
the  boys  they  were  going  up  the  East  branch,  a  short 
distance,  to  where  a  trail  began  that  led  to  the  bog. 

After  their  visitors  had  departed,  Maynard  told 
Adams  that  they  were  going  to  climb  the  Camel's 
Rump,  and  asked  him  if  he  wanted  to  go.  He  replied  in 
the  affirmative,  saying  he  had  passed  one  day  alone,  and 
that  would  answer  for  him  for  some  time. 

They  fed  the  menagerie,  put  up  some  lunch,  and 
then,  taking  their  fire-arms,  crossed  the  river  and  waded 
towards  the  mountain.  They  found  the  travel 
exceedingly  difficult,  the  growth  being  very  close,  and, 
as  the  route  was  up-hill  all  the  way,  they  found  the  tramp 
a  tiresome  one. 


196  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Three  weeks  of  out-door  life  had  hardened  their 
muscles,  and  put  them  in  good  condition,  so  that  the 
walk  was  nothing  for  them  compared  to  what  it  would 
have  been  a  month  previous. 

The  entire  distance,  until  they  were  quite  near  the 
summit,  lay  through  a  thick  forest  that  effectually 
secured  them  from  the  hot  rays  of  the  sun.  But  still  it 
was  very  warm  travelling,  as  but  little  air  was  stirring 
in  the  woods.  Occasionally  they  sat  down  to  rest,  and 
at  such  times  they  would  speak  of  Claude  and  Phil, 
and  wonder  how  they  were  getting  along. 

They  finally  reached  the  summit,  and  were  greeted 
with  a  grand  view  of  an  unbroken  forest,  stretching 
away  without  limit,  broken  by  silvery  threads  and  spots, 
designating  the  rivers,  ponds,  and  lakes  by  which  they 
were  surrounded.  When  they  had  viewed  the  grand 
landscape  from  every  point  of  the  compass  they  sat 
down  and  took  dinner. 

"  It  does  not  look  as  if  the  forests  of  Maine  were 
going  to  be  all  cut  this  year,"  remarked  St.  Clair,  as  he 
gazed  around  on  the  immense  wilderness  spread  out 
before  them. 

"All  that  stuff  you  read  in  the  newspapers  about  the 
forests  of  Maine  becoming  cleared  up  in  a  few  years  is  all 
bosh.  Probably  the  special  cori'espondents  who  write 
those  things  were  never  up  here  in  the  wilderness  in 
their  lives.  I'll  bet  if  you  should  climb  this  mountain  one 
hundred  years  from  to-day,  the  view  from  its  top  would 
not  be  changed  a  particle,  unless  a  destructive  fire 
should  occur  in  the  meantime." 

"  That  is  my  opinion,  too,  Maynard,"  said  Le  Roy, 
and  ever  since  we  made  our  trip  to  the  Richardson 


Discovery  of  a  Cave.  197 

Lakes,  I  have  laughed  at  those  newspaper  accounts  you 
speak  of.  Why,  one  of  the  guides  told  me,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  but  that  he  spoke  the  truth,  that  he  knows  a 
number  of  pieces  of  land  that  were  cleared  up  for  farms 
twenty-five  years  ago  that,  having  been  deserted,  have 
grown  up  to  woods,  and  returned  to  the  original  forest." 

"  Don't  you  remember  that  farm  on  the  Richardson 
Lakes,  near  the  Narrows,  where  we  were?  That  is  all 
grown  up  to  bushes  now,  and  in  ten  years  longer  it  will 
probably  be  woods,"  added  Adams. 

After  eating  their  lunch  the  boys  wandered  about  the 
top  of  the  mountain,  and  came  across  some  surveyors* 
marks,  for  the  boundary  line  between  Maine  and  New 
Hampshire  runs  directly  across  the  top  of  the  Camel's 
Rump,  north  and  south. 

"  This  is  the  State  line,"  declared  Maynard  as  he  no- 
ticed the  marks  ;  "  I  suppose  we  could  follow  this  clear 
to  the  Connecticut  river  if  we  chose." 

"  Don't  start  until  after  supper,  Frank,"  saidLe  Roy  ; 
"you  might  get  hungry  before  you  reached  the  river." 

"  I  think  we  had  better  be  getting  down  this  moun- 
tain ;  it's  a  good  three  hours  from  here  to  camp,  and 
it's  two  o'clock  now." 

"Right  you  are,  Wingate,"  answered  Frank;  "so 
here  goes !  "  and  the  party  began  the  descent. 

They  went  down  a  little  to  the  west  of  where  they 
had  come  up,  and,  when  about  half-way  to  the  bottom, 
Maynard,  who  was  in  advance,  stumbled  and  fell,  and, 
as  he  scrambled  to  his  feet,  was  surprised  to  see,  a  little 
to  his  right,  a  hole,  about  the  size  of  the  top  of  a  flour 
barrel,  that  looked  like  a  tunnel  into  the  mountain.  A 
well-worn  path  led  to  it  from  the  forest,  and,  peering 


198  Wild  Woods  Life. 

into  the  entrance,  he  tried  to  see  what  lay  beyond,  but 
the  darkness  prevented  him. 

"What  have  you  found  now?"  inquired  St.  Clair, 
as  the  boys  hastened  to  him,  to  see  if  he  had  been  hurt 
by  his  fall. 

"I'll  be  hanged  if  I  know  !  A  hole  certainly, — a 
bear's  den  possibly,  but  it  is  so  confounded  dark  in 
there  I  can't  see  six  feet  beyond  my  nose." 

"  Let's  explore  it ;  perhaps  it's  a  cave,"  cried  Adams, 
excitedly. 

"You  are  not  in  a  cave  country,  my  boy.  If  we 
were  down  in  Western  Virginia  or  Kentucky  it  might 
be  one,  for  you  can  stumble  on  one  there  most  any 
hour  in  the  day.  But  these  granite  hills  are  not  like 
limestone,  and  it  is  seldom  you  find  much  of  a  cave,  at 
least  a  natural  one,  in  New  England.  If  we  had  a  lan- 
tern we  might  see  what  it  amounted  to  ;  but  we  can't 
get  into  it  without  light ;  and  then  if  we  should  find  a 
bear  or  some  other  wild  animal  inside,  it  might  be  awk- 
ward." 

"  Oh,  hang  your  lantern ! "  retorted  Wingate. 
"There's  a  big,  white  birch  a  little  way  ahead;  let's 
peel  off  some  bark,  make  some  torches,  and  have  a 
look  at  it.  With  three  rifles  and  two  double-barrel 
guns,  we  are  good  for  any  animal  that  turns  up,  from 
a  skunk  to  a  moose." 

It  needed  but  little  to  stir  the  spirit  of  adventure  in  the 
boys,  and  Wingate's  words  found  an  echoing  response 
in  his  companions'  hearts,  and,  starting  for  the  white 
biixh,  by  aid  of  their  knives  they  had  soon  peeled  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  bark,  and,  going  back  to  the  hole 
in  the  mountain,  they  quickly  made  a  dozen  torches. 


A  Startling  Discovery.  199 

Lighting  one  of  these,  and  putting  their  pieces  at  half- 
cock,  they  started  into  the  hole  on  their  hands  and  knees, 
Wingate  leading  the  way.  For  the  first  six  feet  the 
passage  was  straight,  and  then  turned  sharply  to  the 
left,  the  grade  being  downward  all  the  time.  As  they 
crawled  along,  the  tunnel  became  higher  and  broader, 
and  they  could  soon  walk  upright.  There  were  a  great 
many  pieces  of  rock  scattered  along  the  path,  of  different 
sizes,  from  an  egg  to  a  foot-ball.  The  sides  of  the 
passage  were  rough,  showing  veins  of  mica,  that  glistened 
under  the  light  of  their  torch. 

When  they  had  accomplished  about  thirty  feet  their 
torch  was  burned  nearly  out,  and  they  lighted  another, 
the  passage  now  turning  toward  the  right.  At  this  point 
it  was  about  seven  feet  high,  and  three  feet  wide,  and 
continued  so  the  rest  of  the  distance,  some  forty  or  fifty 
feet  more,  when  it  suddenly  brought  them  into  a  cave, 
or  apartment,  about  sixty  feet  square,  but  of  irregular 
shape.  The  floor  of  this  cave  was  smooth  and  hard, 
and,  lighting  another  torch,  one  being  insufficient  to 
pierce  the  Cimmerian  darkness,  they  went  on  a  tour  of 
inspection. 

The  first  discovery  they  made  (a  startling  one  to  them) 
was  the  fact  that  the  cave  had  been  made  wholly,  or  in 
part,  by  human  hands,  as  they  found  marks  of  drills  on 
the  walls,  and  evidences  that  blasting  had  once  been  done 
there.  Here  was  something  to  speculate  on,  and  the 
boys  began  carefully  to  examine  the  walls,  to  see  if  they 
could  find  traces  of  silver  or  gold.  After  ten  minutes' 
careful  examination  they  found  a  thin  streak  of  silver, 
and  near  it  a  large  vein  of  lead,  pronounced  so  by  Le 
Roy,  who  knew  a  little  about  geology. 


200  Wild  Woods  Life, 

They  were  looking  along  the  left-hand  wall,  as  they 
had  entered  from  the  passage-way,  and,  as  they  reached 
the  farther  corner,  were  surprised  and  shocked  to  find 
the  skeleton  of  a  man  lying  on  the  floor,  afleshless  mass 
of  bones,  without  anything  suggesting  clothing. 

"Heavens  and  earth!"  exclaimed  Maynard  ;  "what 
is  this?"  and  he  held  his  torch  nearer  to  the  hideous 
skull  after  a  moment's  hesitation,  for  his  sudden  discov- 
ery had  startled  him. 

"The  skeleton  of  some  man,  perhaps  an  Indian," 
added  Wingate. 

"  It  must  have  been  here  an  awful  time"  said  Adams  ; 
"  there  isn't  a  vestige  of  clothing  left  about  it." 

"  Nor  anything  else  to  show  what  he  was,  or  what  he 
was  doing  here,"  declared  Le  Roy,  looking  carefully 
about. 

While  they  were  speculating  and  theorizing  over  the 
dead  man's  bones,  a  large  bat,  that  had  been  disturbed 
from  its  slumbers,  dashed  over  to  them  with  a  whirr, 
and  alighted  on  Adams'  head,  causing  that  young  man 
to  shout,  "  The  devil!  "  and  frightened  them  so  in  the 
semi-darkness,  not  seeing  or  knowing  what  had  attacked 
their  friend,  that,  without  a  thought  of  their  fire-arms, 
they  turned  and  rushed  for  the  passage-way. 

But  every  one  was  in  the  other's  way,  and  they  all 
sprawled  head  over  heels  on  the  floor,  struggling  and 
yelling,  half- frightened  to  death,  as  their  torches  became 
extinguished,  leaving  them  in  a  gloom  that  could  be 
almost  felt,  from  its  denseness. 

Maynard  was  the  first  to  recover  from  the  panic,  and 
suddenly  thinking  what  it  must  have  been  that  caused 
their  fright,  he  began  to  laugh. 


Suppositions  about  the  Cave.  201 

"  What  a  set  of  fools  we  are  !  "  he  cried,  as  he  drew 
out  a  match,  and,  lighting  it,  found  one  of  the  un- 
burned  torches;  "it  was  nothing  but  a  bat";  and, 
lighting  the  torch,  he  held  it  up,  and  beheld  a  tre- 
mendous bat  with  outspread  wings,  clinging  to  a 
jutting  rock  on  the  wall  over  the  skeleton,  and  then 
he  roared  again  to  think  of  the  ridiculous  picture 
his  friends  and  himself  must  have  presented  when 
they  tied  themselves  up  in  a  knot  on  the  floor.  His 
laughter  was  contagious,  and  his  companions,  all 
but  Adams,  joined  with  him. 

He,  however,  was  thoroughly  frightened,  as  the  bat, 
in  trying  to  alight  on  his  head,  had  scratched  his  hat 
off,  and,  recovering  this,  and  his  gun,  which  he  had 
dropped  during  the  rush,  he  exclaimed,  as  he  lighted 
another  torch  from  Maynard's,  "Bat  or  no  bat,  let's 
get  out  of  here.  We*  shall  not  reach  camp  to-night 
at  this  rate." 

"I  suppose  we  ought  to  be  moving,  Frank;  we 
must  have  fooled  away  an  hour  in  here." 

"  All  right,  Charlie,"  replied  Maynard,  turning 
toward  the  passage-way,  Adams  hastily  skipping  on 
ahead  ;  "  we'll  come  up  here  again  when  Claude  and 
Phil  come  back." 

On  their  way  down  the  mountain  the  discovery 
of  the  cave  and  the  finding  of  the  skeleton  was  the 
one  topic  of  conversation,  and  each  of  the  party 
wearied  their  brains  in  trying  to  account  for  them  in 
a  satisfactory  manner. 

The  cave  was  supposed  to  be  either  a  mine  or  a 
dwelling,  and  the  skeleton  to  have  been  a  miner,  Indian, 
smuggler,  hunter,  trapper,  or  possibly  a  wild  man. 


202  Wild  Woods  Life. 

It  was  as  bad  as  a  Greek  puzzle  to  them  and  they 
could  not  solve  it.  The  fact  that  Norton,  nor  Chester, 
nor  any  of  the  hunters  or  guides  they  had  met  in  the 
country  had  mentioned  it  to  them,  naturally  led  the 
boys  to  believe  that  none  of  them  knew  of  its  existence  ; 
and  the  more  they  thought  the  matter  over  the  more 
mysterious  it  appeared. 

It  was  a  little  after  six  when  they  reached  camp, 
and  all  helped  in  preparing  supper.  When  it  was 
over  the  camp-fire  was  lighted,  and  the  boys  returned 
to  the  subject  of  the  cave  and  the  skeleton,  which 
seemed  to  possess  a  wonderful  fascination  for  them, 
and  fairly  tortured  themselves  in  their  anxiety  to 
solve  the  mystery. 

"Will  any  fellow  answer  me  one  thing?"  queried 
Wingate  as  he  gazed  around  at  his  friends.  "  What 
became  of  the  rock  that  was  taken  out  of  that  cave? 
for  you  will  all  allow  that  there  must  have  been  a  good 
deal  of  it  disposed  of  somewhere." 
.  "That  is  easy  enough,"  declared  Maynard.  "It 
was  carried  out-doors,  and  is  now  overgrown  with  moss 
and  bushes.  Didn't  you  observe  how  uneven  the 
ground  was  around  the  entrance?  It  was  all  dumped 
below  that  hole,  and  I'll  bet  that  if  you  pull  up  the 
bushes,  and  dig  around  there  with  a  crow-bar,  you'll 
find  a  large  pile  of  small  stones.  You  see  that  job  must 
have  been  done  years  ago,  and  all  traces  of  the  work  out- 
side have  been  hidden  by  the  cunning  hand  of  Nature." 

"  Anyhow  I  should  like  to  know  whether  the  skeleton 
is  that  of  an  Indian  or  a  white  man,"  declared  Le  Roy. 

"  And  whether  he  died  a  natural  death,  or  whether 
he  was  murdered,"  suggested  Adams. 


Speculations  about  the  Absent.  203 

"  I  guess  he  died  for  want  of  breath,"  smiled  Maynard. 

"  So  will  you  if  you  talk  much  more,"  retorted  St. 
Clair. 

"  Let's  go  to  bed,  the  last  stick  of  wood  is  on  the  fire, 
and  I  don't  intend  to  cut  any  more  to-night,"  and  with 
this  decided  statement  from  the  cook  the  party  broke  up 
and  sought  their  couch. 

After  breakfast  Saturday  morning  St.  Clair  an- 
nounced that  the  berries  and  fish  were  all  gone,  and  that, 
if  they  wanted  any  more,  the  boys  would  have  to  get 
them,  as  he  and  Adams  had  all  they  could  do  that  day 
to  do  the  cooking  and  get  a  supply  of  long  camp- wood 
chopped  for  the  evening  fires. 

Wingate  and  Le  Roy  offered  to  procure  some  trout, 
and  Maynard  said  he  would  go  down  river  and  get  some 
berries.  The  boys  took  a  lunch  and  left  camp  about 
nine,  Wingate  and  Le  Roy  going  over  to  Rump  Pond 
to  fish,  and  Frank  down  the  river  to  some  of  the  loggers' 
clearings,  where  the  raspberries  grew  in  great  profusion. 

Both  parties  returned  within  a  few  minutes  of  each 
other,  about  five  o'clock,  Maynard  with  ten  quarts  of 
raspberries,  and  the  two  fishermen  with  over  a  hundred 
trout,  and  about  half  a  pound  of  spruce-gum  that  they 
had  found  all  on  one  tree  on  their  way  home. 

"  Claude  and  Phil  come  yet?"  inquired  Maynard.  as 
he  turned  his  berries  over  to  St.  Clair  to  take  care  of. 

"  Not  a  sign  of  them  yet,  and  it  is  so  late  now  I  shall 
not  look  for  them  much  until  to-morrow." 

"  They  ought  to  go  over  there  and  back  in  less  than 
four  days,"  said  Wingate. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  returned  Le  Roy.  "  It  is 
quite  a  distance  ;  and  then  the  travelling  in  some  places 


204  Wild  Woods  Life. 

is  pretty  bad.  See  what  a  hole  we  struck  the  other 
day,  up  the  river.  If  they  get  back  here  by  to-morrow 
noon  I  shall  think  they  do  well.  I  don't  believe  they 
reached  Chester's  before  last  night." 

"  Then  they  had  to  sleep  out  Thursday  night,"  put 
in  Adams. 

"That  won't  hurt  them  any,"  remarked  Maynard ; 
"  we  have  not  had  any  real  cold  nights  yet,  and  with  a 
fire  they  could  be  comfortable  enough.  The  only 
danger  I  can  think  of  for  them  is  of  their  getting  lost." 

"  They  won't  get  lost,"  said  Wingate  laughing, 
"  Claude  is  a  pretty  level-headed  fellow.  I  have  no 
doubt  of  their  going  over  there  and  back  safely." 

"  I  don't  propose  to  borrow  trouble  on  their  account, 
any  way,"  declared  St.  Clair,  cheerfully.  "  If  they  are  not 
here  by  to-morrowr  night  then  it  will  be  time  enough 
to  worry.  They  probably  did  not  start  on  their  return 
until  this  morning,  and  I  don't  believe  that  any  of  us 
could  come  from  Tom  Chester's  camp  across  through 
the  wilderness  that  we  saw  from  the  Camel's  Rump, 
yesterday,  in  one  day,  and  have  to  make  our  course  by 
compass  at  that." 

"  They  should  have  spotted  a  line  going  over," 
suggested  Le  Roy. 

"  How  is  supper  getting  along,  Adams?  " 

"  First-rate,  Frank,  it  will  be  ready  as  soon  as  I  take 
up  the  beans." 

A  moment  later  and  St.  Clair  called  supper,  and  the 
boys  dropped  the  subject  of  their  absent  friends'  return 
for  the  present. 

"By  gracious!  these  beans  are  the  boss,"  declared 
Maynard  after  eating  two  or  three  mouthfuls. 


A  Hungry  Crowd.  205 

"  So  are  these  trout,  simply  immense,"  and  Wingate 
helped  himself  to  half-a-dozen. 

"  Not  in  size,"  laughed  Adams. 

"  No,  but  in  taste  they  can't  be  beat." 

"  Give  me  a  good,  strong  cup  of  tea,  to-night, 
Andrew,  will  you  ?  I  want  a  regular  eye-opener.  I 
became  rather  tired  picking  those  berries. 

"  You  deserve  it,  Frank  ;  you  must  have  kept  very 
busy  to  have  picked  ten  quarts." 

"  I  wasn't  laying  around  "in  the  bushes  a  great  while, 
I  tell  you." 

"  Say,  suppose  I  sample  some  of  those  berries  that 
you  are  making  such  a  row  about?  "  and  Le  Roy  passed 
his  plate  along.  "  Put  another  biscuit  on  it  at  the 
same  time.  I  don't  feel  hungry  to-night." 

u  I  shouldn't  think  you  did,"  and  Adams  grinned  as 
he  helped  him. 

"  Now  that  we  have  helped  these  three  hungry 
cormorants,  let's  you  and  I  sit  down,  Adams.  We 
shall  be  getting  left  if  we  don't  look  out." 

"Yes,  pitch  in,"  advised  Maynard,  as  he  speared  a 
biscuit,  "  or  it  will  be  a  cold  day  for  you." 

And  thus  the  talk  ran  on  until  even  the  hungry  boys 
could  eat  no  more,  and  arose  from  the  table,  feeling  at 
peace  with  themselves  and  all  the  world. 

The  evening  was  spent  around  the  camp-fire,  talking 
of  their  absent  friends,  and  at  an  early  hour  they  went 
to  bed.  % 

Sunday  forenoon  was  passed  in  various  ways  by  the 
party,  with  the  exception  of  Maynard,  who  amused 
himself  by  giving  Nap  lessons  in  a  new  trick.  St. 
Clair  and  Adams  made  preparations  for  dinner  to 


206  Wild  Woods  Life. 

include  Claude  and  Phil ;  and  about  one  o'clock  they 
came  in,  looking  as  if  they  had  been  on  a  tramp  from 
Boston  to  Chicago,  and  walking  as  if  they  were  thor- 
oughly tired  out. 


Tired  Out.  207 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Claude's  Story.  —  An  Unpleasant  Adventure.  —  Oversleeping.  —  A 
Foggy  Morning. — "Quack!  Quack!  Quack!  "the  First  Ducks. 
Phil's  Story.  —  An  Excursion  to  Little  Boy's  Falls.  —  A  Hot  Day. 
Maynard  and  the  Bear.  —  Building  a  Shanty.  —  Roast  Duck  for 
Supper. 

"  You  look  as  if  you  had  been  having  a  hard  time, 
fellows,"  remarked  Maynard,  as  Phil  and  Claude  laid 
aside  the  axe  and  their  fire-arms,  and  turned  into  the 
two  hammocks  that  swung  just  outside  of  the  centre  of 
the  camp. 

"  I  should  rather  remark,"  answered  Claude,  dryly. 

"  Did  you  get  over  there  all  right?"  queried  Adams. 

"Yes,"  replied  Phil. 

"  Who  did  you  see?"  said  Wingate. 

"  Tom  Chester,  a  couple  of  Pittsburgh  guides,  and  a 
party  of  three  men  from  Concord  "  ;  and  Claude  turned 
in  the  hammock  to  get  an  easier  position. 

"  Are  you  hungry?"  inquired  St.  Clair. 

"  I  think  I  could  eat  anything  from  old  boots  to  raw 
skunk-meat,  if  you  call  that  being  hungry,"  and  Phil 
took  several  long  sniffs  at  the  dinner  that  was  now 
nearly  ready,  and  smacked  his  lips  in  anticipation  of 
the  coming  feast. 

"  What  makes  you  so  quiet,  Claude?  Give  us  an  ac- 
count of  your  trip,  will  you?  "  and  Le  Roy  walked  over 
to  the  hammock. 


208  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  Let  me  alone,  Tom,  until  after  dinner,  and  then  I'll 
talk  to  you.  I'm  as  tired  as  a  tramp  and  as  hungry  as  a 
wolf,"  and  Claude  cast  longing  glances  toward  the  table. 

During  the  fifteen  minutes  that  intervened  before  St. 
Clair  announced  the  dinner,  Claude  and  Phil  went 
sound  asleep,  and  Maynard,  who  noticed  it,  told  the 
others  that  he  guessed  the  boys  were  pretty  well  played 
out. 

When  dinner  was  ready  Adams  awoke  them,  and, 
taking  their  places  at  the  table,  they  lost  no  time  in 
sampling  the  viands  before  them.  While  the  dinner 
was  in  progress,  Maynard  and  Wingate  related  to 
Claude  and  Phil  their  adventure  of  the  day  before,  to 
which  the  boys  listened  with  marked  attention,  laughing 
heartily  as  they  described  the  panic  among  them  caused 
by  the  bat. 

After  dinner  Claude  and  Phil  went  to  the  river  and 
took  a  bath,  then  returned  to  camp,  and  changed  their 
clothes.  By  this  time  St.  Clair  and  Adams  had  finished 
their  work,  and,  like  the  rest  of  their  friends,  were  itch- 
ing to  hear  an  account  of  the  trip  to  Second  Lake  ;  for 
they  all  knew  from  the  appearance  of  Claude  and  Phil 
that  something  unusual  had  occurred  during  their  ab- 
sence. Their  two  tired  comrades  having  sought  the 
hammocks  again,  the  rest  of  the  party  gathered  around 
them,  and  Claude  began  his  narration  of  what  had  tran- 
spired during  the  three  days  and  a  half  they  had  been 
away  from  camp. 

"  When  we  left  camp  Thursday  morning,  after  cross- 
ing the  river,  we  took  a  westerly  course  by  compass, 
after  consulting  the  map  I  carried  with  me. 

"  The  travelling  was  good  most  of  the  time  during 


Claude's  Story.  209 


the  forenoon,  except  when  we  struck  into  logging 
works,  which  we  did  occasionally,  and  then  we  would 
have  to  go  out  of  our  course  some  distance  to  clear  the 
tops  and  brush. 

"About  eleven  o'clock  we  crossed  a  stream,  which 
we  took  to  be  the  Little  Magalloway,  and  then  changed 
our  course  a  few  points  farther  south,  to  avoid  crossing 
a  high  mountain.  At  one  o'clock  we  were  to  the  west- 
ward of  this,  and  reached  a  small  stream  that  flowed 
south-west,  and  which  probably  emptied  into  Second 
Lake. 

"  By  this  time  we  were  tired  enough  to  rest,  for  the 
deer's  hide  seemed  to  weigh  about  fifty  pounds,  and  the 
head  and  antlers  about  a  ton.  During  our  walk  we  had 
changed  burdens  with  each  other,  and  that  had  made  it 
a  little  easier. 

"  Sitting  down  by  the  side  of  the  brook  we  eat  our 
lunch,  washing  it  down  with  the  sparkling  water  before 
us,  and  at  two  o'clock,  feeling  rested  and  much  better, 
we  crossed  the  stream,  and  continued  our  way. 

"  After  leaving  the  brook  the  character  of  the  woods 
changed  considerably.  Before  dinner  the  growth  had 
been  larger,  —  spruce,  pine,  and  fir  among  the  soft 
woods,  and  maple,  white  and  yellow  birch,  and  occa- 
sionally ash,  for  hard-wood  timber,  while  the  under- 
brush had  not  been  bad  at  all. 

"  But  half  a  mile  from  where  we  had  eaten  we  ran 
into  a  swamp,  or  bog,  with  clusters  of  small  firs,  cedars, 
and,  once  in  a  while,  some  spruces.  These  grew  so 
close  together  that  at  times  it  was  simply  impossible 
to  force  our  way  through  them,  and  we  were  compelled 
to  make  a  detour. 


210  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"The  ground  here  was  treacherous,  —  soft  and  wet, 
and  full  of  holes ;  and  quite  often  we  would  sink  down 
over  the  tops  of  our  boots.  It  was  very  tiresome,  I 
tell  you,  and  after  half-an-hour  of  it,  I  told  Phil  we  had 
better  keep  farther  north,  and  see  if  we  couldn't  clear 
it,  and  find  drier  ground. 

"  We  changed  our  route  accordingly,  and,  after  an 
hour's  hard  tramp,  reached  firmer  land  and  higher 
ground,  a  ridge  running  nearly  east  and  west. 

"  By  this  time  it  was  four  o'clock,  and  I  knew  that 
all  chance  of  reaching  Chester's  camp  that  night  had 
gone.  However,  we  pushed  on,  and  at  half-past  five 
came  to  another  stream,  which,  by  consulting  the  map, 
we  found  must  be  the  outlet  of  Third  Lake. 

We  waded  across  this,  and,  selecting  a  suitable  place, 
prepared  to  camp.  We  cut  up  a  stack  of  camp-wood, 
made  us  a  bough  tent,  and  at  seven  o'clock  built  a  fire, 
and  took  supper.  Before  turning  in,  we  dried  our 
stockings,  which  were  wet  through,  and  bathed  our 
feet  and  legs  in  the  brook,  for  we  both  felt  sore  and 
stifF.  Having  piled  a  lot  of  large  hard-wood  sticks  on 
the  fire,  that  threw  out  a  generous  warmth  for  a  dis- 
tance of  ten  feet,  we  laid  down,  and  after  a  while  went 
to  sleep. 

At  first  the  stillness  was  oppressive,  but  a  breeze 
sprang  up,  making  a  gentle  murmur  among  the  tree- 
tops  ;  and,  soothed  by  this  woodland  music,  I  soon  lost 
all  consciousness,  and  knew  nothing  more  until  a  yell 
from  Phil  brought  me  out  of  a  sound  slumber,  and, 
sitting  upright,  I  found  in  my  lap  the  cause  of  Phil's 
outcry." 

"  What  was  it?"  broke  in  Le  Roy. 


At  Second  Lake.  211 

."  A  fearful  great  adder,  of  the  spotted  variety,  larger 
round  than  my  thumb,  and  about  four  feet  long,  had 
crawled  on  top  of  me  during  the  night,  and,  liking  the 
warmth  of  my  body,  had  coiled  himself  up  on  me,  and 
snoozed  away  in  the  most  comfortable  manner  possi- 
ble." 

"  Blast  such  a  bedfellow  as  that !  "  cried  Adams,  de- 
cidedly. 

"My  sudden  waking  and  moving  frightened  the 
snake,  and  he  uncoiled  and  wriggled  away  before  I 
could  get  a  crack  at  him.  We  tried  our  best  to  kill 
him,  but  he  went  in  under  the  root  of  a  spruce  near 
us,  and  that  was  the  last  we  saw  of  him." 

"  But  I  shall  not  forget  him  very  soon,"  added  Phil. 
"  I  was  lying  close  to  Claude,  and  threw  my  arm  over 
him,  I  suppose,  in  my  sleep,  and  my  hand  came  down 
on  the  snake.  The  touch  of  his  cold,  clammy  body,  ran 
through  me  like  an  electric  shock,  and  awoke  me  in  a 
second,  and,  seeing  the  snake,  I  gave  a  yell  that  would 
have  awakened  an  Egyptian  mummy." 

The  boys  laughed  at  the  expression  of  disgust  in 
Phil's  face,  at  the  remembrance  of  the  reptile,  and 
Claude  continued :  — 

"  After  the  adder  had  given  us  the  slip,  I  looked  at 
my  watch,  and  found  it  was  half-past  four,  and  think- 
ing that  it  would  not  pay  to  turn  in  again,  I  scraped  the 
coals  left  from  the  fire  together,  hacked  some  slivers  off 
of  an  old  pine  stub  near  us,  and  soon  had  a  good  fire 
under  way. 

"  At  that  time  in  the  morning  the  air  was  decidedly 
chilly,  and  the  fire  felt  first- rate,  I  assure  you.  After 
taking  a  wash  in  the  stream,  we  eat  our  breakfast, 


212  Wild  Woods  Life. 

cleaning  our  larder  completely  out,  and  at  half-past 
six  we  started,  after  scattering  our  fire  so  that  it  would 
do  no  damage. 

u  We  felt  a  little  stiff  from  Thursday's  tramp,  and 
walked  slowly  at  first,  increasing  our  pace,  as  we 
limbered  up. 

"  Being  perfectly  well  convinced  that  the  stream  by 
which  we  had  camped  was  the  upper  Connecticut,  we 
concluded  that  the  best  thing  we  could  do  was  to  follow 
it  south  until  we  sighted  the  lake,  and  then  follow  that 
to  Chester's  camp,  which  we  did,  arriving  there  a 
little  after  nine. 

"  Tom  was  at  home,  and  was  glad  to  see  us,  and 
urged  us  to  have  some  breakfast ;  but  we  concluded  we 
could  wait  until  dinner-time,  and  asked  him  what  was 
going  on. 

"  He  gave  us  the  news,  and  told  us  all  that  had 
happened  at  the  camp  lately  that  was  worth  relating. 
He  said  that  Norton  had  gone  down  to  Colebrook  with 
a  party  who  were  on  their  way  out,  and  that  he  would 
send  the  head  and  hide  to  him  the  first  opportunity. 

"  We  met  the  Concord  gentlemen  at  dinner,  and  they 
told  us  they  had  shot  a  moose  the  night  before  near  the 
foot  of  the  lake,  and  showed  us  the  skin.  I  tell  you, 
boys,  it  was  a  large  one. 

"  After  dinner  we  told  Tom  we  were  going  to 
return ;  but  he  would  not  hear  of  our  going ;  said 
that  if  we  left  then  we  should  be  out  over  night, 
and,  added  that  if  we  would  wait  until  the  next  morn- 
ing he  would  take  us  in  a  boat,  after  breakfast,  and 
carry  us  to  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  up  a  stream  a  mile 
or  two,  so  that  from  where  he  would  land  us  we  could 


The  Return.  213 


easily  reach  our  camp  before  dark  ;  and,  on  the  strength 
of  his  promise,  we  concluded  to  stay. 

"•  In  the  afternoon  we  went  out  with  him  about  three 
miles  from  camp  to  a  small  stream,  where  he  showed  us 
a  beaver  dam  ;  and,  I  tell  you,  boys,  it  is  worth  seeing. 
Men  could  not  have  built  it  any  better,  and  the  trees 
were  cut  off  by  the  beavers  as  smooth  as  if  done  by  a 
saw. 

"  In  the  evening  the  two  Pittsburg  guides,  who  ap- 
peared to  be  pretty  good  fellows,  related  some  of  their 
experiences  in  driving  river,  and  told  us  how  a  friend 
of  theirs  lost  his  life  while  trying,  with  others,  to  start  a 
jam  of  logs  one  spring  on  the  Connecticut.  According 
to  his  telling,  river-driving  must  be  a  very  exciting 
business. 

"  We  had  a  good  sleep  Friday  night,  and  felt  first- 
rate  yesterday  morning.  After  breakfast  Tom  took  us 
in  a  boat,  and  rowed  up  the  lake. 

"  On  the  way  he  asked  me  if  we  had  seen  any 
Kanucks  around  our  camp,  and  I  told  him  no  ;  and,  as  I 
scarcely  knew  what  he  meant,  I  asked  him  if  they  were 
Indians. 

"'Dog-gone  them!  no;  but  a  darned  sight  worse. 
They're  French  Canadians.  They  come  down  this 
way  every  fall,  and  they're  the  ly ingest,  drunkenest, 
thievingest  set  of  cusses  you  ever  saw.  Why  they'd 
steal  the  hole  out'n  a  grin'stone,  and  if  any  of  'em  come 
foolin'  around  yer  camp,  order  'em  ter  leave,  and  if 
they  don't,  put  a  charge  'er  shot  inter  'em.' 

"  I  expressed  a  hope  that  we  should  not  be  troubled 
by  any  such  visitors,  and  admired  the  beauty  of  the 
lake,  as  the  boat  shot  through  the  still  water,  propelled 


214  Wild  Woods  Life. 

by  Tom's  sturdy  arms,  sending  the  little  ripples  out 
from  under  the  bow,  which  floated  astern  in  the  shape 
of  silver  bubbles,  and  were  lost  in  the  wake  behind  us. 

"  Reaching  the  mouth  of  the  stream  he  had  spoken 
of,  Tom  poled  the  boat  up  it  for  a  couple  of  miles, 
until  we  reached  some  shallow  rapids. 

"He  told  us  that  he  could  not  go  any  farther,  and 
landed  us  on  the  east  bank. 

"  He  asked  us  particularly  as  to  the  location  of  our 
tents,  and,  after  we  had  answered  him,  said  he  knew  the 
place  well,  and  told  us  we  were  not  more  than  ten 
miles  from  our  camp,  in  a  bee-line. 

"  He  said  if  we  travelled  east-north-east  from  where 
we  then  were  we  should  strike  the  Magalloway  but  a 
short  distance  below  our  camp ;  and,  telling  us  not  to 
get  lost,  bid  us  good-day,  and  we  struck  into  the  woods, 
having  no  doubt  but  that  we  should  eat  supper  with  you. 

"  Feeling  almost  as  if  we  were  at  home  we  started 
onward  with  good  courage,  talking  and  laughing,  and 
on  the  lookout  for  anything  in  the  shape  of  game. 

u  Soon  after  this  we  came  upon  some  deer-tracks  that 
looked  so  fresh  that  we  concluded  to  follow  them  a 
short  distance,  and  see  if  we  couldn't  get  some  venison. 

"We  followed  the  tracks,  I  guess  for  an  hour,  but 
saw  nothing  of  the  deer,  and  rinding,  upon  consulting 
my  watch,  that  it  was  eleven  o'clock,  we  gave  up  the 
pursuit,  and  turned  our  steps  once  more  homeward. 

"  But  now  we  were  at  a  loss  as  to  the  proper  direc- 
tion in  which  to  travel,  as,  while  trailing  the  deer,  we 
had  paid  no  attention  to  the  compass,  and  the  sun, 
being  so  nearly  overhead,  did  not  help  us  much. 

"  After  quite  a  consultation  we  decided  upon  what 


A  Rough  Lot.  215 

we  thought  was  the  proper  course,  and  pushed  on. 
After  travelling  an  hour  we  caught  sight  of  the  moun- 
tain we  had  seen  going  over,  a  long  way  to  the  north 
of  us,  and,  changing  our  course  to  a  more  northerly 
direction,  tramped  for  an  hour  longer,  which  brought 
us  near  the  base  of  the  mountain,  we  judged  a  little 
south  of  where  we  had  passed  it  before. 

"  As  we  felt  easy  as  to  our  whereabouts  now,  and  had 
began  to  get  decidedly  hungry,  we  sat  down  on  an  old 
windfall,  and  eat  the  small  lunch  we  had  brought  with 
us,  consisting  of  a  piece  of  corn-cake,  and  some  dough- 
nuts and  cheese. 

"  Being  anxious  to  reach  camp  by  supper-time,  we 
only  made  half  an  hour's  stop,  then  once  more  continued 
our  journey.  We  reached  the  Little  Magalloway  about 
three  o'clock,  and,  as  we  came  in  sight  of  the  river, 
stumbled  on  to  three  rough-looking  fellows  sprawled 
out  around  a  fire,  one  of  whom  was  just  taking  a  drink 
from  a  black  bottle  as  we  reached  them.  Hearing 
our  footsteps  and  voices  they  sprang  to  their  feet  and 
confronted  us,  and  three  more  villanous  looking  vaga- 
bonds, I  never  saw  in  my  life." 

"You  can  bet  your  bottom  dollar  on  that,"  echoed 
Phil,  heartily. 

"  We  looked  at  each  other  a  few  seconds,  and  then 
the  largest  one  said,  '  Where  you  go?  " 

"  '  Over  to  Parmachenee  Lake,'  I  answered,  for  it 
dawned  upon  me  suddenly  that  perhaps  it  would  be  as 
well  not  to  let  them  know  just  where  our  camp  was 
located. 

"  '  Where  you  come  from  ? '  he  asked. 

"  '  Second  Lake.' 


216  Wild  Woods  Life. 

' '  '  What  you  do  up  here  ?  ' 

'*  '  Hunting  and  fishing.' 

"'Alone?' 

"'Yes.' 

"  '  No  guide,  you  have?' 

"'No.' 

"  '  How  long  been  here  ? ' 

"  '  Just  come.' 

"  '  Have  a  drink?' 

"  '  Don't  use  it.' 

"  While  this  conversation  was  progressing,  Phil 
stood  close  beside  rne  and  we  did  not  pay  much  attention 
to  the  other  two  men. 

"  It  would  have  been  better  for  us,  however,  if  we 
had,  for  suddenly  they  stole  up  behind  us,  and  while 
one  grasped  my  gun,  and  gave  me  a  crack  behind  the 
ear,  that  knocked  me  flat,  the  other  grabbed  Phil  by  the 
throat  and  choked  him  in  such  a  manner  that  he  could 
not  use  his  rifle,  and  soon  dropped  that,  and  the  axe 
which  he  was  carrying. 

"  When  I  came  to,  I  found  Phil  rubbing  his  throat, 
and  I  picked  myself  up,  feeling  as  if  my  head  was  half 
broken.  The  three  villains  stood  near  us  examining 
our  watches  that  they  had  robbed  us  of,  which  they 
slid  into  their  pockets  as  they  saw  me  get  up. 

"  Pointing  my  gun  at  me  as  I  regained  my  feet, 
while  one  of  the  others  levelled  his  rifle  at  Phil,  the 
one  who*  had  talked  with  me,  and  who  now  had 
my  gun,  told  us  if  we  did  not  leave  he  would  blow  our 
brains  out. 

"  '  Do  you  intend  to  keep  our  things?  '  I  asked,  indig- 
nantly, '  you  have  robbed  us.' 


Trailing  the  Thieves  217 

"  '  They're  our  things  now.  You  get  out !  if  you  don't 
I  help  you  ! '  and  the  fellow  advanced  towards  me,  as  if 
to  put  his  threat  into  execution. 

"  '  Come  on,  Phil,'  I  called  ;  '  this  is  no  place  for  us  ; ' 
and  I  walked  oft"  in  the  direction  we  had  come. 

"'Let's  pitch  into  them,'  said  Phil.  '  The  beggars 
have  taken  my  watch  and  rifle,  our  axe,  and  everything 
else.' 

"  '  Nonsense  !'  I  replied.  '  Follow  me,'  or  you'll  get 
your  head  broke.' 

"  '  See  here  you  fellars,'  remarked  the  one  with  my 
gun,  '  you  come  back  here,  we  kill  you.' 

"We  started  off  lively  after  this  threat,  the  scoundrel 
following  us  for  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  when  he 
returned  to  his  companions. 

"  As  soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight  we  stopped,  and 
looked  at  each  other  with  woe-begone  faces. 

"  I  wish  the  rest  of  us  had  been  there,"  spoke  up 
Adams;  "we  would  have  made  those  fellows  sick." 

"  How  did  you  get  out  of  the  scrape, Claude?  I  see 
you  brought  your  gun  back,"  said  Maynard. 

"And  our  watches,  too,"  laughed  Phil. 

"  I  had  no  intention  of  returning  to  camp  without  our 
property,  if  I  could  help  it ;  and  Phil  felt  the  same  as  I 
did. 

"After  waiting  a  few  moments,  and  talking  the 
matter  over,  we  made  our  way  carefully  back  to  the  scene 
of  the  robbery,  and  discovered  the  three  thieves  just 
starting  off,  following  the  bank  of  the  river. 

"  We  crept  noiselessly  after  them  for  an  hour,  as  near 
as  I  could  judge,  and  then  they  crossed  the  river,  and 
made  preparations  for  camping. 


218  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"They  built  a  fire,  and  cooked  some  pork  and 
potatoes  in  a  frying-pan  and,  after  eating,  all  pulled  out 
short  clay  pipes,  filled  them  with  tobacco,  and  began  to 
smoke. 

"  Then  each  one  produced  a  bottle,  and  took  an 
occasional  drink. 

"  Several  times  they  examined  our  watches,  and  the 
gun  and  rifle,  and  then  would  jaw  away  to  themselves, 
but  we  were  too  far  away  to  distinguish  what  they  said, 
although  we  could  hear  the  buzz  of  their  voices  plainly." 

"  Confound  the  scoundrels  !  "  broke  in  Maynard,  "  I 
should  like  to  have  been  there,  and  put  a  bullet  through 
the  whole  of  them." 

"  I  should  rather  have  put  a  charge  of  peep-shot  into 
them,"  laughed  Wingate,  "  a  fellow  would  not  want  to 
be  hung  for  killing  such  trash  as  that." 

"  There's  where  you're  right,"  said  Phil. 

"  I  noticed,"  continued  Claude,  "  that  the  smallest  one 
of  the  party  did  not  drink  near  as  often  as  the  others, 
and,  after  a  while,  this  excited  our  suspicions,  and  we 
concluded  that  he  was  trying  to  put  up  a  job  on  his 
companions,  and  later  it  turned  out  so. 

"  By  dark  the  two  largest  were  pretty  drunk,  and, 
crawling  up  near  the  fire,  lay  down  with  their  feet 
toward  it. 

"  The  small  man  then  arose  to  his  feet,  threw  some 
more  wood  on  the  fire,  and  looking  carefully  around, 
as  if  he  was  afraid  somebody  was  watching  him,  drew 
near  to  his  companions,  and  bent  over  them. 

"  Then  Phil  and  I  crawled  up  to  within  about  fifty 
feet  of  the  scoundrels,  and  watched  the  operations  of 
the  sober  one. 


A  Successful  Attack.  219 

"While  making  our  way  on  our  hands  and  knees,  I 
came  across  a  stout  maple  stick,  about  four  feet  long, 
and  two  inches  through,  as  handsome  a  club  as  you 
ever  saw. 

"  I  could  see  our  gun  and  rifle  standing  against  a 
spruce  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  fire  from  us,  but  too 
near  the  scamps  for  us  to  think  of  getting  them,  until 
after  we  had  disposed  of  the  sober  rascal,  who  seemed 
now  about  to  rob  his  friends. 

"  As  he  kneeled  down,  we  were  horrified  to  notice 
that  he  had  a  wicked  looking  knife  held  between  his 
teeth  by  the  blade,  and  we  wondered  if  he  was  going  to 
murder  as  well  as  rob  them. 

"  Watching  his  proceedings,  however,  we  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  had  taken  out  his  knife  as  a  matter 
of  precaution,  not  intending  to  use  it  unless  his  com- 
panions should  awake. 

"  It  appeared  in  this  case  that  there  was  no  '  honor 
among  thieves,'  for  the  small  villain  deliberately  robbed 
the  larger  ones  in  plain  sight  of  us. 

"  While  he  was  rifling  their  pockets,  we  crawled  up 
to  within  twenty  feet  of  him,  and  stopped  behind  a 
large  pine-stump  waiting  our  chance  to  make  a  rush  on 
him. 

"  We  saw  him  get  both  the  watches  and  my  pocket- 
compass,  and  then  rising  slowly  to  his  feet,  stood  for  a 
moment  watching  them,  with  his  back  toward  us. 

"  This  was  our  chance,  and  whispering  to  Phil  to 
follow  me,  we  arose  silently  to  our  feet,  and  made  a 
rush  for  the  double  thief. 

"  In  front  of  us  the  ground  was  clear  of  bushes  and 
sticks,  and  we  were  nearly  up  to  him  before  he  heard  us. 


220  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  Turning  with  the  knife  in  his  hand,  he  faced  us, 
but  before  he  could  utter  an  outcry,  or  use  his  weapon, 
I  brought  the  club  down  on  his  head  with  a  crack,  that 
was  music  to  me,  and  he  dropped  like  a  log  at  the  feet 
of  his  companions. 

"I  took  his  knife  and  flung  it  into  the  river ;  and 
while  I  secured  our  watches  and  compass,  Phil  scooted 
around  the  fire,  and  captured  our  gun,  rifle,  and  axe. 

"  Being  afraid  that  the  one  I  had  struck  would 
soon  recover  his  senses,  I  pulled  out  a  piece  of  string 
from  my  pocket,  and,  taking  the  fellow's  greasy 
hat,  which  had  fallen  from  his  head,  I  shoved  it  into 
his  mouth,  and  tied  the  string  around  it,  securely  gag- 
ging him.  Then  taking  some  marline  that  we  had 
with  us,  we  tied  his  hands  securely  together,  as  well  as 
his  feet,  and  picking  him  up  carried  him  behind  the 
stump  from  which  we  had  watched  his  operations. 

"  The  blood  was  flowing  slowly  from  a  cut  where 
my  club  had  struck  him  ;  but  I  didn't  have  any  sympathy 
for  him,  and  leaving  them  we. struck  up  river. 

"  Talk  about  hard  travelling,  you  don't  know  anything 
about  it,  boys,  until  you  undertake  to  travel  through  the 
woods  in  the  dark. 

"  The  moment  we  had  gone  beyond  the  fire-light  the 
darkness  seemed  intense.  We  dared  not  leave  the 
r.iver,  as  we  might  have  wandered  around  in  a  circle  and 
gone  back  to  the  scoundrels  whom  we  had  so  signally 
defeated. 

"  With  one  hand  outstretched  we  groped  our  way 
along,  stumbling,  tripping,  and  falling,  our  only  guide 
the  river,  whose  whispering  current  on  our  right 
seemed  like  a  faithful  friend  to  us. 


STEAMER  DIAMOND  ON  CAMBRIDGE  KIVER,  LAKE  UMBAGOG. 


Conclusion  of  Claude's  Story.  223 

"Fears  of  pursuit  hurried  us  on  at  the  best  pace  it 
was  possible  to  take  under  the  circumstances ;  and, 
although  we  barked  our  shins,  tore  our  clothes,  and 
scratched  our  faces  and  hands,  there  was  no  stopping." 

"  Must  have  been  pleasant  walking,"  broke  in  St. 
Clair  ;  "  don't  you  wish  your  girl  had  been  with  you  ?  " 

Claude  smiled  at  the  idea ;  but,  taking  no  further 
notice  of  the  interruption,  continued  :  — 

"  We  travelled  in  this  manner  until  daylight,  so  tired 
we  could  scarcely  stand,  and  sleepy  as  dogs,  in  spite 
of  the  excitement  we  had  passed  through  ;  and  at  half- 
past  four  concluded  that  we  had  travelled,  as  near  as  we 
could  judge,  about  six  miles. 

"We  were  half  frozen,  as  well  as  tired  and  hungry, 
and,  cutting  some  wood,  built  a  fire,  and  sat  over  it 
awhile,  until  we  recovered  from  the  chill  that  was  on 
us. 

"  But  the  heat  made  us  so  drowsy,  that  the  first  thing 
we  knew,  as  the  Irishman  said,  we  did  not  know  any- 
thing, and  dropped  ofF  asleep. 

"  When  we  awoke  it  was  ten  o'clock  ;  the  sun  was 
shining  in  our  faces,  and  only  a  few  coals  of  the  fire 
remained. 

"  Rising  to  our  feet  with  an  effort,  we  compared 
notes,  and  then  struck  eastward  for  camp,  and,  under 
the  guidance  of  a  divine  Providence,  were  fortunate 
enough  to  reach  here  without,  any  farther  trouble,  and 
when  we  came  in,  I  tell  you,  I  did  not  feel  like  talking 
much." 

"  Nor  I,  neither,"  chimed  in  Phil. 

"  Well,  you  have  had  an  adventure,"  declared  May- 
nard  ;  "I  would  like  to  know  how  those  scoundrels 


224  Wild  Woods  Life. 

felt  when  they  discovered  you  had  recovered  your 
things.  I'll  bet  they  swore  some." 

"Shouldn't  wonder  if  they  did,"  chuckled  Phil. 

"  Suppose  they  should  happen  to  stray  over  here," 
Adams  said  with  a  slight  tone  of  alarm  in  his  voice. 

"  I  should  like  no  better  fun  than  to  have  them," 
declared  St.  Clair,  rubbing  his  hands  ;  "  I  don't  think 
they  would  want  to  visit  us  again  in  a  hurry." 

"I  don't  wish  to  see  anything  more  of  them,"  said 
Claude  decidedly.  "  They  are  a  worse  crowd  than  we 
struck  at  Mosquito  brook  two  years  ago,  and  there  is 
no  fun  in  fighting  with  such  scoundrels.  If  they  were 
to  get  over  here  they  would  not  come  into  camp,  but 
would  hang  around  until  some  time  when  we  were 
away,  and  then  steal  all  we  had.  They're  a  bad  lot, 
and  I  want  nothing  to  do  with  them.  Isn't  it  most 
supper-time,  St.  Clair?  "• 

"  Five  o'clock.  I  guess  we  had  better  be  getting  it 
ready,  Adams." 

"  How  far  is  that  cave  from  here,  Maynard?"  asked 
Claude,  "  where  you  went  yesterday." 

"About  four  miles,  I  should  judge." 

"We  must  go  up  there  some  day,  I  would  like  to 
see  it." 

"  So  should  I,"  added  Phil. 

Although  Claude  and  Phil  had  eaten  a  large  dinner, 
they  were  not  backward  in  coming  forward  when  the 
call  to  supper  was  given. 

"Did  you  warm  up  any  beans,  St.  Clair?"  inquired 
Claude,  as  the  party  gathered  around  the  table. 

"Yes,  I  thought  you  would  want  some." 

"You're  a  brick,  well  baked." 


Table  Talk.  225 

"  So  are  the  beans  well  baked,"  added  Adams,  as  he 
passed  them  to  Claude. 

"  Wouldn't  some  of  those  beans  have  gone  well 
about  six  o'clock  this  morning?"  queried  Phil,  as  he 
winked  at  his  friend. 

"  Don't  mention  it ;  I  was  as  hollow  as  a  bass-drum." 

"  Well,  fill  up  !  fill  up  !  "  cried  St.  Clair,  as  he  passed 
the  biscuit. 

"  I  don't  suppose  you  and  Claude  will  sit  up  a  great 
while  this  evening,  Phil,"  said  Frank,  smiling. 

"Not  much,"  replied  Claude,  "I'm  going  to  bed  as 
soon  as  it  is  dark  under  the  table." 

"  I'm  with  you,"  and  Phil  gaped  as  if  even  then  he 
could  scarcely  keep  his  eyes  open. 

"Adams,  you'll  be  boss  cook  to-morrow,"  said  St. 
Clair ;  "I  finish  to-night." 

"Who  is  to  be  my  assistant?"  gazing  around  the 
table  for  a  volunteer. 

"I  will,"  offered  Maynard,  after  a  few  seconds' 
silence. 

At  dark,  Claude  and  Phil  retired  to  the  tent,  and  in  a 
few  moments  were  oblivious  to  all  around  them,  but 
the  other  boys  sat  around  the  camp-fire  until  ten  o'clock, 
and  talked  over  the  exciting  adventure  that  had  be- 
fallen their  two  companions. 

"  We  are  going  to  have  a  cold  night,"  remarked 
Maynard,  as  the  circle  broke  up.  "  I  wouldn't  wonder 
if  we  found  frost  on  the  ground  in  the  morning." 

"It  don't  matter,"  replied  St.  Clair;  "we  have 
plenty  of  blankets,  and  can  keep  warm." 

"Suppose  Nap  and  Lightfoot  will  be  warm  enough?" 
inquired  Wingate,  as  the  boys  went  to  their  tent. 


226  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  I'll  risk  them,"  declared  Maynard.  "  Nature  has 
provided  them  with  warm  clothing." 

The  boys  undressed  as  silently  as  they  could,  not 
wishing  to  disturb  their  tired  companions,  and  every- 
body went  to  sleep  without  making  any  talk,  and, 
either  out  of  sympathy  with  Claude  and  Phil,  or  from 
some  other  unknown  cause,  not  a  soul  awoke  until 
eight  o'clock  the  following  morning. 
«•  Adams  was  the  first  one  to  get  up,  and  when  he 
looked  at  his  watch,  he  could  scarcely  believe  his  eyes. 
He  found  upon  going  out  that  a  thick  fog  enveloped 
everything  and  he  could  scarcely  see  a  dozen  feet  from 
camp.  The  wood  and  everything  else  was  almost  as 
wet  as  if  rain  had  fallen,  and  he  was  compelled  to  go 
into  the  store-tent  to  get  some  dry  birch-bark  and  kind- 
lings that  were  kept  thei'e  for  an  emergency  of  this  kind. 

After  he  had  started  the  open  fire  he  stuck  his  head 
into  the  tent,  and  called  out. 

"All  hands  on  deck!  It  is  eight  o'clock.  Do  you 
intend  to  lie  all  day?  " 

"Eight  o'clock!"  repeated  Maynard,  arising  to  a 
sitting  position,  and  rubbing  his  eyes. 

"  Yes,  eight  o'clock.  Turn  out  and  start  the  fire  in 
the  stove  if  you  want  any  breakfast.  You're  a  pretty 
assistant ! " 

"  Why  didn't  you  call  me?"  remonstrated  Frank,  as 
he  sprang  up  and  hurriedly  began  to  dress. 

"  Because  I  just  awoke,  myself,"  returned  Adams, 
laughing. 

"  What  makes  it  so  dark,  Jack?  "  inquired  St.  Clair, 
as  he  half  rose  up  and  peered  out  of  the  tent. 

"  Fog.     It    is    thick   as  mud.      You    could   cut    it 


Black  Ducks.  227 


with  a  knife,"  and  he  withdrew  to  attend  to  the  break- 
fast. 

The  other  members  of  the  party  at  once  arose,  and, 
after  attending  to  their  toilet,  gathered  around  the  open 
fire,  for  the  air  was  quite  chilly. 

"  We  shall  have  a  hot  day  to-day,"  remarked  Claude, 
"  after  the  sun  eats  this  fog  up." 

"  That  is  so,"  replied  Maynard.  "  I  remember,  when 
we  were  at  the  Richardson  Lakes,  that  foggy  mornings 
always  gave  us  very  hot  days." 

"I  wonder  that  we  have  not  seen  any  ducks,  yet," 
said  Wingate. 

"Perhaps  they  don't  get  way  up  in  here,"  hazarded 
Le  Roy. 

"  Nonsense,"  replied  Claude,  "  with  all  these  ponds 
about  here  they  should  be  very  plenty.  I  think  it  is  a 
little  early  for  them  yet." 

The  words  had  scarely  left  his  mouth  when  "  Quack  ! 
quack  !  quack  !  "  was  heard  coming  from  the  river  a  little 
below  them. 

"What  do  you  call  that?"  cried  Phil,  excitedly. 

"Ducks,  by  thunder!"  and  rushing  for  his  gun, 
Claude  was  out  of  sight  in  the  fog  before  the  rest  of  the 
party  had  recovered  from  their  surprise. 

A  little  below  the  camp  there  was  a  pool  of  dead- 
water  in  the  river,  and  toward  this  Claude  directed  his 
steps,  as  noiselessly  as  possible. 

When  he  picked  up  his  gun,  which  was  loaded  with 
buck-shot,  he  had  taken  a  couple  of  shells  containing 
duck-shot,  and,  as  he  walked  along,  he  substituted  these 
for  the  buck-shot  cartridges. 

As  he  approached  the  pool  he  could  hear  the  ducks 


228  Wild  Woods  Life. 

splashing  in  the  water,  and,  stealing  up  to  the  bank  of 
the  river,  he  peered  through  the  alders,  and  beheld 
seven  black  ducks  not  thirty  feet  distant.  Bringing  his 
gun  to  his  shoulder,  he  took  aim  and  fired  his  right- 
hand  barrel ;  but  his  foot  slipped  on  a  rock  as  he  pulled 
the  trigger,  and  he  never  raised  a  feather. 

At  the  noise  of  the  repoi't,  which  echoed,  and  reechoed 
through  the  forest,  the  ducks  gave  a  startled  "Quack!" 
and,  rising  in  a  body,  flew  directly  past  him  up  river. 

Growling  at  his  awkwardness,  he  covered  the  flock 
with  his  left-hand  barrel,  and  let  them  have  it,  and  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  three  of  the  flock  drop.  Two 
of  these  were  dead,  and  one  badly  wounded. 

He  rushed  back  to  camp  for  a  boat,  and  met  all  his 
friends  but  Adams  and  Maynard,  with  gun  and  rifles, 
ready  for  the  sport. 

"  Did  you  hit  any,  Claude?" 

"  Yes,  killed  two,  and  wounded  another,  that  I 
guess  we  can  get.  Come  with  me  in  the  boat.  The 
flock  flew  up  river  after  I  fired ;  didn't  any  of  you 
see  them?" 

"  No,"  replied  Phil.  "  They  must  have  been  out  of 
sight  in  the  fog." 

"  You  may  as  well  return  to  camp  ;  there  are  no 
more  on  the  river ! "  and  Claude,  accompanied  by  Le 
Roy,  jumped  into  the  "  Water  Witch,"  and  pushed 
down  river,  while  the  others  returned  to  the  tents. 

Reaching  the  still- water,  the  two  boys  soon  discov- 
ered the  dead  ducks  floating  in  the  middle  of  the  river, 
but  the  wounded  one  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

"Confound  that  little  nigger!  he  has  hid,"  said 
Claude,  as  he  picked  up  the  two  dead  birds. 


A   Good  Shot.  229 


"  Let's  search  the  banks,"  suggested  Le  Roy;  "he 
cannot  be  a  great  ways  off." 

After  hunting  up  and  down  both  sides  of  the  pool  for 
about  fifteen  minutes,  Le  Roy  caught  sight  of  the  duck's 
head  just  as  it  rose  along-side  of  a  clump  of  lily-pads, 
about  two  rods  distant,  and,  taking  quick  aim,  fired, 
making  a  splendid  shot,  the  bullet  going  directly 
through  its  neck  almost  cutting  its  head  off. 

"  By  Jove  !  Tom,  that  was  a  good  shot !  "  exclaimed 
his  companion,  and,  paddling  up  to  the  dead  bird,  they 
secured  it,  and  then  turned  toward  the  camp  just  as 
the  cry  for  "breakfast"  came  floating  down  the  river. 

"  Roast  duck  for  dinner,"  said  Claude,  as  the  boys 
reached  their  friends,  and  he  passed  the  three  ducks  to 
Maynard  to  take  care  of. 

"Any  beans  left?"  inquired  Claude,  as  the  party 
took  seats  at  the  table. 

"  Nary  a  bean,"  replied  Adams.  "You  fellows  eat 
like  all  possessed,  yesterday.  There  are  fried  venison, 
baked  potatoes,  hot  biscuit,  coffee,  and  berries." 

"Pass  the  venison,  then.  I'm  not  at  all  particular,  as 
the  horse-thief  said  when  the  regulators  asked  him 
whether  he'd  be  hung  or  shot." 

"  Have  a  potato,  Claude?"  and  Maynard  passed  the 
dish. 

"  Thank  you,  I  don't  care  if  I  do." 

"  This  is  a  rousing  cup  of  coffee,  Jack,"  remarked 
Phil,  as  he  slowly  sipped  the  aromatic  beverage  that 
was  steaming  before  him. 

"  Yes,  I  made  it  extra  strong  this  morning,"  replied 
Adams.  "  It  was  so  cold  and  foggy  I  thought  we 
would  need  something  to  brace  us  up." 


230  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  This  fog  is  beginning  to  rise,"  said  Phil,  as  he 
helped  himself  to  the  second  biscuit,  and  looked  anx- 
iously around  the  table  to  see  how  many  were  left. 

"  Yes,  it  will  be  all  clear,  by  ten  o'clock,"  answered 
Claude. 

.  "  Those  ducks  were  mighty  fat,"  asserted  Le  Roy, 
as  he  harpooned  another  potato  in  the  dish,  and  trans- 
ferred it  to  his  plate. 

"Yes,  they  were-,"  acknowledged  Maynard,"and  I 
must  pick  them  after  breakfast." 

"  Save  the  feathers  to  make  a  pillow  of,"  suggested 
Wingate,  laughingly. 

"  Speaking  of  ducks,"  laughed  Phil,  as  if  he  had 
something  funny  on  his  mind,  "  reminds  me  of  the  story 
of  the  Irishman  and  his  hens." 

"Let's  have  it,"  said  Adams. 

"  Reel  it  off,"  cried  Claude. 

"  An  Irishman  in  New  York,  who  dabbled  somewhat 
in  politics,  and  who,  like  most  of  his  countrymen,  was 
conceited  enough  to  think  the  machine  could  not  be 
run  without  him,  went  down  to  City  Hall  one  day  to 
make  a  complaint  about  the  sewerage.  Going  up  to  a 
clerk  in  one  of  the  departments,  he  said,  — 

"  '  Me  name  is  Muldoon.  I  lives  in  the  sivinth 
war-r-d,  and  the  water  is  in  me  cellar,  and  me  hins  will 
be  drowned.' 

"  'Well,  I  can't  help  it,'  returned  the  clerk. 

*'  *  I  tell  yees  me  name  is  Muldoon.  I  lives  in  the 
sivinth  war-r-d,  and  I  controls  fifty  voates,  and  the 
water  is  in  me  cellar,  and  me  hins  will  be  drowned. 
Ye  moind  that  now,  I  controls  fifty  voates.' 

"  '  But  I  can't  help  it ;  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  it,' 
protested  the  clerk. 


Phil's  Story.  231 

"  '  But  I  tell  yees  I  contix>ls  fifty  voates,'  continued 
Mr.  Muldoon,  earnestly,  '  and  the  water  is  in  me  cellar, 
and  me  bins  will  be  drowned.' 

"  '  Bother  your  hens  ! '  returned  the  clerk,  '  we  can't 
do  anything  for  you  here ;  the  mayor  is  the  man  you 
want  to  see.' 

"  '  The  mare,  is  it?' 

"  '  Yes.' 

"  '  Faix,  I'll  goto  him.' 

"  In  about  two  weeks  Mr.  Muldoon  turned  up  in  the 
clerk's  office  again,  and  walking  up  to  him  began  :  — 

"  '  Me  name  is  Muldoon.  I  lives  in  the  sivinth 
war-r-d,  and  I  controls  fifty  voates,  moind,  and  the 
water  is  in  me  cellar,  and  me  hins  will  be  drowned. 
Now  just  yees  remimber  that  I  controls  fifty  voates.' 

"  '  Haven't  you  been  here  before  with  this  com- 
plaint?' inquired  the  clerk,  an  amused  smile  playing 
across  his  face. 

"  '  Faith,  I  hav.' 

"  '  And  I  sent  you  to  the  mayor.' 

"  '  Be  gobbs,  ye  did.' 

"  'Did  you  go?  ' 

"  '  I  did  that.' 

"  '  And  what  did  the  mayor  say?  ' 

"'Faix,  he  said,'  replied  the  Irishman,  after  a  few 
moments'  hesitation,  '  he  said,  Misther  Muldoon, 
ivhy  doant  yees  kape  du&s?" 

A.  shout  of  laughter  rolled  around  the  table  as 
Phil  concluded  his  story,  and  the  boys  left  their  seats. 

It  was  now  half-past  nine,  and  the  fog  had  all  dis- 
appeared, with  the  exception  of  a  few  light  banks  that 
here  and  there  clung  to  the  lower  part  of  the  mountains. 


232  Wild  Woods  Life. 

A  gentle  breeze  had  sprung  up,  which  scattered  it  far  and 
wide,  some  of  it  ascending  in  spiral  circles,  and  some 
stringing  out  into  long  lines  of  white,  delicate  mist  that 
was  driven  before  the  wind,  and  breaking  up,  assumed 
a  hundred  eddying  shapes.  The  sun  was  now  shining 
brightly,  and  already  its  heat  was  beginning  to  be  felt 
in  a  manner  that  suggested  as  hot  a  day  as  the  boys  had 
predicted. 

"  What  is  the  programme  for  to-day  ?  "  inquired  Phil, 
glancing  from  one  to  the  other  of  his  friends  for  an  ex- 
pression of  opinion. 

"  You  had  better  go  fishing,"  replied  Adams,  who 
had  heard  the  inquiry ;  "the  trout  are  all  gone ;  I  just 
gave  the  last  to  Nap." 

"Are  there  any  berries  left?"  inquired  Claude. 

"  Not  one.     We  finished  them  this  morning." 

"  If  it  were  not  for  those  roast  ducks,  we  might  go 
down  to  Little  Boy's  Falls  and  make  a  day  of  it." 

"  We  can  keep  the  ducks  until  evening,  and  have  a 
late  dinner,"  suggested  Maynard. 

"  That  is  so,"  replied  St.  Clair.  "  Let's  go,  Claude. 
We  can  take  a  lunch  with  us,  and  get  back  early,  and 
have  a  five  o'clock  dinner." 

"We  can  get  some  berries  down  there,  also,"  said 
St.  Clair. 

After  talking  the  matter  over  a  little  longer,  the  boys 
came  to  the  conclusion  to  go  down  to  the  falls,  and  tiy 
their  luck  with  the  trout,  and  also  pick  some  berries. 
As  it  was  barely  possible  that  the  three  scoundrels  who 
had  attacked  Phil  and  Claude  might  possibly  stumble 
across  the  camp,  both  Adams  and'Maynard  stopped  at 
home,  and  agreed  to  have  dinner  ready  at  five. 


A  Hot  Day.  233 

Claude  told  them  to  load  their  fire-arms,  and  have 
them  where  they  could  lay  hands  on  them  quickly  if 
they  had  occasion  to  use  them. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  expedition  started,  Claude,  St. 
Claire,  and  Wingate  in  one  boat,  and  Phil  and  Le  Roy 
in  the  other,  the  boys  carrying  their  guns  and  rifles,  as 
well  as  their  rods,  and  two  pails,  and  some  dishes  in 
which  to  pick  the  berries. 

They  took  it  easy  going  down  river,  the  heat  dis- 
couraging any  uncalled  for  exertion.  They  kept  a  sharp 
lookout  for  ducks  or  other  game,  but  the  only  thing  they 
saw  was  an  otter.  Claude  and  Wingate  fired  at  it,  but 
did  not  hit  it,  and,  the  animal  diving,  they  did  not  see 
it  again. 

"  You  orter  have  hit  that  otter,"  declared  Phil,  call- 
ing out  to  Claude  whose  boat  was  ahead. 

"  How  can  you  find  courage  to  make  such  a  misera- 
ble pun  as  that,  Phil,  this  hot  day?" 

"  His  breakfast  don't  set  well,"  answered  Le  Roy. 

Floating  along  with  the  current,  aided  occasionally 
by  a  stroke  of  the  oars  or  dip  of  the  paddle,  it  was  noon 
when  they  reached  the  falls,  and  drew  out  their  boats. 

"It  is  too  hot  to  have  very  good  luck  fishing  now," 
remarked  Claude,  as  they  took  their  things  from  the 
boats,  "  and  we  ma_y  as  well  eat  our  luncheon,  then 
pick  berries  awhile.  What  do  you  say,  fellows?" 

"His  friends  expressed  their  willingness  to  adopt  his 
suggestions,  and,  dipping  up  a  pail  of  water  from  a 
spring  near  the  river,  they  withdrew  to  the  shade  of  a 
large  spruce,  and  tested  the  lunch,  which  they  declared 
was  "  about  the  cheese."  Then  they  went  to  picking 
berries,  and,  although  the  sweat  stood  in  great  drops  on 


234  Wild  Woods  Life. 

their  faces,  they  kept  diligently  at  work  for  a  couple  of 
hours,  securing  fifteen  quarts.  The  berries  were  large, 
and  very  plenty,  and  it  did  not  take  a  great  while  to 
pick  a  quart. 

"Phew!  isn't  it  hot!  I've  had  about  enough  of 
this  kind  of  fun,"  declared  Phil,  and,  looking  at  his 
watch,  found  that  it  was  half-past  two.  • 

"  Come,  Claude,  we've  picked  berries  enough.  Let's 
try  and  get  a  few  trout,"  added  Wingate. 

"All  right !  "  and  Claude  and  Phil,  who  had  the  two 
pails  of  berries  carried  them  to  the  boats,  and  their 
friends  brought  along  the  •  dippers  in  which  they  had 
been  picking. 

"  We  shall  have  to  leave  here  by  half-past  three,  if 
we  are  going  to  get  to  camp  at  five,"  said  Claude,  as  he 
made  a  cast,  and  dropped  his  fly  in  the  white  water, 
near  the  foot  of  the  falls,  and  let  it  float  down  to  an  eddy 
on  the  opposite  shore. 

"  That  is  so,"  returned  St.  Clair,  who  was  a  short 
distance  below  him,  "and  we  shall  have  to  make  a 
little  more  exertion  than  we  did  coming  down  this 
morning." 

Just  then  a  half-pounder  rose  to  Claude's  fly,  and  he 
struck  him  fairly,  and  soon  had  him  on  the  bank,  and 
popped  him  into  his  basket,  shouting  as  he  did  so, 
"  First  fish  !  " 

For  an  hour  the  boys  kept  up  the  sport  with  varying 
success ;  but  in  that  time,  only  captured  forty  fish,  the 
heat,  and  the  bright  glare  of  the  sun  being  against  them. 
Then,  launching  their  boats,  they  rowed  up  the  river, 
wading  in  the  stream,  and  dragging  the  boats  after  them 
where  the  water  was  not  deep  enough  to  row. 


Giving  Nap  a  Lesson.  235 

"Morning  and  evening  are  the  time  to  fish,  if  you 
want  to  take  many,"  remarked  St.  Clair.  "  I'll  get  up 
early  to-morrow  morning,  and  go  over  to  Rump  Pond 
with  you,  Claude,  if  you  say  so?" 

"  I'll  go  with  you  if  it  is  not  foggy.  They  won't  take 
hold  a  foggy  morning.  Will  you  go,  Charlie  ?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  Wingate,  "  if  you  and  Andrew  go. 
But  I  doubt  if  you  wake  up  at  four  o'clock." 

"I  can  if  I  charge  my  mind  with  it,"  replied  St. 
Clair,  decidedly. 

After  their  friends  had  left  them  in  the  morning, 
Adams  and  Maynard  did  up  the  camp-work,  and  then 
Maynard  taking  two  or  three  pieces  of  cold  biscuit  cov- 
ered them  with  molasses,  and  walked  up  to  Nap,  who 
was  rubbing  his  side  against  a  tree,  and,  judging  from 
the  way  he  grunted,  was  having  a  most  enjoyable 
scratch. 

"  Come,  Napoleon,  leave  off  scratching,  and  attend 
to  business  ;  sit  up  there  now,  like  a  little  man,"  and 
Maynard  motioned  him  to  sit  up  on  his  haunches. 

The  bear,  seeing  the  bread  and  molasses,  stopped 
rubbing,  and  standing  up  on  his  hind  legs,  put  his  fore- 
paws  on  his  teacher's  shoulders,  almost  knocking  him 
over,  while  he  stuck  out  his  tongue,  and  fairly  laughed, 
as  he  tried  to  possess  himself  of  the  coveted  sweet  mor- 
sels in  Maynard's  hands. 

"Down,  Nap,  down;  you  are  taking  too  much  lib- 
erty," said  Maynard,  as  he  rapped  him  under  the  chin. 

"  Look  out,  Frank  !  "  called  Adams  from  one  of  the 
hammocks,  where  he  was  sitting  ;  "  that  bear  will  leave 
his  marks  on  you  one  of  these  days.  I  wouldn't  fool 
around  him  the  way  you  do  for  fifty  dollars." 


236  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"Pooh!  he's  as  harmless  as  a  kitten,  if  you  only 
treat  him  decently"  ;  then  turning  to  the  bear,  "  Now, 
Nap,  sit  down.  There,  that  is  right.  Now  lift  up 
your  fore-paws  and  straighten  up,"  and  Maynard  took 
hold  of  one  of  his  paws  as  he  would  that  of  a  dog,  and 
made  him  take  the  same  position  as  a  dog  does  in  beg- 
ging. "Now  keep  quiet,"  and  he  placed  one  of  the 
pieces  of  bread,  molasses-side  up,  on  the  bear's  nose. 
The  moment  Nap  smelt  it,  however,  he  tossed  it  on  the 
ground  and  gobbled  it  up  before  Maynard  could  pre- 
vent him. 

A  shout  of  laughter  from  Adams,  who  was  an  inter- 
ested spectator,  greeted  this  performance. 

"Confound  you,  you  villain  !  What  do  you  mean? 
Take  that!"  and  the  teacher  gave  his  pupil  a  rap  on 
the  side  of  the  head.  "  Sit  up  there,  now  !  if  you  don't 
I'll  give  you  a  taste  of  an  alder  stick." 

The  bear  resumed  his  former  position,  running  out 
his  tongue,  and  winking  his  little  brown  eyes,  and  look- 
ing at  Maynard  with  a  comical  glance,  as  if  he  under- 
stood what  he  had  done,  and  gloried  in  it. 

"  He's  laughing  at  you,  Frank,"  said  Adams,  who 
had  caught  the  look  on  the  bear's  face,  and  was  chuck- 
ling at  his  friend's  discomfiture. 

"  I'll  make  him  laugh  the  other  side  of  his  face,  if  he 
don't  face  the  music,"  declared  Maynard,  laughing  a 
little  in  spite  of  himself  at  the  bear's  droll  appear- 
ance. 

"'If  at  first  you  don't  succeed,  try,  try  again,'" 
chanted  the  cook  from  the  hammock. 

"Now  then,  make  ready,"  said  Maynard,  as  he 
placed  another  piece  of  bread  on  Nap's  nose.  "  Take 


A   Trick  on  the  Cook.  237 

aim,  fire  !  "  and  he  made  a  quick  upward  motion  with 
his  hand  in  front  of  the  bear's  face. 

This  time  Nap  came  to  the  scratch,  and  tossing  the 
bread  from  his  nose  into  the  air,  caught  it  handsomely 
in  his  mouth  as  it  came  down.  Then  Maynard  patted 
him  on  the  head,  and  rubbed  his  nose,  while  Nap 
reached  for  another  piece  of  his  favorite  food. 

But  the  boy  made  him  sit  up  as  before,  and  throw 
the  bread  from  his  nose,  and  catch  it,  the  bear  repeat- 
ing this  performance  several  times  without  once  mak- 
ing a  miss. 

"  There,  old  man,  you've  done  well,"  said  Maynard, 
"  and  when  the  fellows  come  back  I'll  give  you  a  pint 
of  berries,  if  they  bring  any  "  ;  and  he  patted  Nap  on  the 
head,  and  left  him  to  his  own  diversion. 

"I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Jack,  that  bear  will  do  credit 
to  his  training  by  the  time  we  get  him  home  said  May- 
nard, as  he  walked  over  to  the  hammock,  and  dexter- 
ously tipped  his  friend  out  of  it. 

"  Yes,  if  you  ever  get  him  there,"  returned  Adams, 
as  he  picked  himself  up.  "  I  want  you  to  understand, 
young  man,  that  you  are  showing  disrespect  to  your  su- 
periors when  you  turn  the  cook  out  of  a  hammock," 
and  Adams  regained  his  place,  this  time  keeping  a  wary 
eye  on  Frank. 

"It's  a  thundering  hot  day,"  remarked  Maynard,  as 
he  threw  himself  into  the  other  hammock,  and  began 
idly  swinging  to  and  fro. 

"  I  haven't  heard  any  thunder,"  replied  Adams. 

;i  Well,  you  may  before  night." 

"  I  don't  believe  the  fellows  will  catch  many  trout,  do 
you?" 


238  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"•  No  ;  I  should  not  think  they  would  bite  worth  a 
cent  to-day." 

"  I  wish  we  had  something  to  do,"  said  Adams.  "  It 
is  dull  business  staying  in  camp  all  day." 

"  I'll  tell  you  something  that  ought  to  be  done,  and 
that  is,  build  a  shanty  over  that  stove,  and  let's  set 
about  it,"  urged  Maynard  as  he  left  his  hammock  and 
picked  up  an  axe.  "It  is  very  disagreeable  cooking  in 
that  stove  on  a  rainy  day,  and  we  shall  not  always  have 
such  fine  weather  as  we  have  been  having.  Why, 
there  have  only  been  two  or  three  rainy  days  since  we 
left  Colebrook." 

"  How  shall  we  do  it?"  queried  Adams. 

"  Make  a  skeleton  frame  of  poles,  and  then  cover  it 
with  birch  bark  and  cedar  splits." 

"  All  right ;  you  boss  the  job,  and  I'll  help  you  do  the 
work." 

"  Take  the  other  axe,  then,  and  follow  me." 

The  boys  went  a  short  distance  from  camp,  and  cut 
eight  small  maples,  and  trimmed  them  off,  leaving  a 
crotch  at  one  end  of  each  ;  four  of  these  sticks  were 
eight  feet  long,  the  others  six.  Adams  carried  these  to 
camp,  while  Maynard  cut  four  more  about  seven  feet  in 
length,  leaving  on  two  of  them  a  short  piece  of  limb 
about  two  inches  long. 

Joining  his  friend  they  set  the  four  long,  crotched 
sticks  firmly  in  the  gixmnd,  driving  them  down  a  foot. 
They  were  set  two  together,  the  crotches  at  right 
angles,  and  seven  feet  apart.  The  other  four  were  then 
set  the  same  way,  and  the  same  distance  from  each 
other,  and  in  line.  These  constituted  the  posts,  and 
the  back  ones  being  a  foot  shorter  than  those  in  front 


Building  a  Cook-House.  239 

gave  a  pitch  to  the  roof.  Maynard  then  took  the  four 
he  had  cut  last,  and  laid  the  two  straight  ones  at  the  front 
and  back  in  the  crotches  left  to  receive  them,  while  the 
other  two,  with  the  little  limb  or  hook  on  them,  he 
placed  on  the  sides,  the  bit  of  limb  catching  in  the 
crotches,  and  preventing  them  from  slipping  back,  these 
four  sticks  being  the  plates. 

The  boys  now  cut  five  straight  spruce  poles,  seven 
feet  and  a  half  long,  for  rafters,  and  placing  them  on  the 
plate,  a  foot  apart,  tied  them  firmly  into  their  places 
with  marline. 

"  The  sides  and  back  will  be  the  worst  part  of  the 
job,"  remarked  the  boss  carpenter,  as  he  stood  scratch- 
ing his  head  and  wiping  the  perspiration  from  his 
brow,  while  he  gazed  at  the  frame  of  his  building  with 
evident  satisfaction. 

"What  next?"  inquired  the  assistant. 

"  We  must  cut  a  lot  of  small  poles,  about  three  inches 
through,  and  bring  them  here,  and  make  them  the 
right  length,  then  we  can  sharpen  an  end  of  each,  and 
drive  them  down,  setting  them  just  as  close  together  as 
they  will  stand.  Then  we  can  get  some  birch-bark, 
and  cover  them." 

"  But  how  can  we  fasten  the  bark  on?" 

"  Stick  your  knife  blade  through  it  into  each  post, 
then  drive  in  a  wooden  peg." 

"  Yes,  I  guess  that  will  do  it,  Frank.  But  look  here, 
old  fellow,  what  is  going  to  hold  the  top  of  those  posts, 
or  pickets,  or  whatever  you  call  them  in  line?  They 
will  be  all  wabble-jawed." 

"  You  notice  the  rafters  project  over  the  plate?  " 

"Yes." 


240  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"After  we  close  up  one  of  the  sides  with  a  row  of 
posts,  we  will  lay  a  stick  outside  of  them  on  the  rafters 
at  the  top,  and  tie  it  to  the  plate.  By  letting  the  posts 
run  three  or  four  inches  above  the  rafters  we  can  do  it. 
Don't  you  see  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do  now.     You  are  quite  a  genius,  Frank." 

The  boys  then  busied  themselves  for  the  next  two 
hours  in  cutting  and  ti-imming  their  posts,  and,  when 
they  had  carried  them  all  to  the  camp,  they  were  sur- 
prised to  find  it  was  two  o'clock. 

"  I  thought  there  was  an  aching  void  in  my  stomach," 
declared  Adams,  when  he  had  looked  at  his  watch  ; 
"  let's  have  something  to  eat,  Frank"  ;  and  the  boys  sat 
down  to  their  lunch. 

"  I  find  I  am  hungry  myself,"  said  Maynard,  as  they 
began  to  eat. 

"  I  can  only  help  you  until  three  o'clock,"  observed 
Adams  ;  "I  shall  have  to  get  those  ducks  in  to  roast  then." 

"  That  is  so.  However,  I  will  do  the  best  I  can 
alone  after  you  leave  me,  until  you  want  me  to  help 
you.  We  can't  finish  it  to-day,  anyhow,  but  we  can 
to-morrow." 

After  lunch  the  boys  finished  one  side,  and  then 
Adams  had  to  attend  to  his  cooking.  At  four  o'clock 
he  called  Maynard  to  assist  him,  who,  in  the  meantime, 
had  finished  the  other  side  of  the  shanty,  leaving  the 
back  and  roof  to  complete. 

The  cook  and  his  assistant  now  turned  in  earnest  to 
the  dinner,  and  had  the  table  set  and  everything  ready 
to  serve  at  ten  minutes  past  five,  at  which  time  they 
heard  voices,  and  a  moment  later  the  fellows  appeared 
with  their  trout  and  berries. 


Trout  and  Berries.  241 

"Have  some  of  those  berries  for  supper,  will  you, 
Adams?  By  Jove!  we  worked  hard  enough  to  get 
them  "  ;  and  Phil  passed  the  pails  to  the  cook,  while  the 
assistant  took  charge  of  the  trout. 

"All  right!"  replied  Adams;  "supper  is  ready  as 
soon  as  you  are." 

"  We  will  be  there  as  soon  as  we  wash  "  ;  and  in  five 
minutes  the  party  were  seated  at  the  table  intent  upon 
demolishing  the  good  things  that  Adams  and  Maynard 
had  prepared  for  them. 

"  What  in  Jerusalem  is  that?"  queried  Claude,  as  he 
caught  sight  of  the  shanty  ;  "  a  house  for  Nap  and  Light- 
foot?" 

"  Not  much,"  replied  Maynard,  and  he  explained  to 
his  friends  what  he  and  Adams  had  been  doing. 

"That's  a  good  idea,"  asserted  Claude;  "we  are 
liable  to  have  three  or  four  rainy  days  in  succession 
before  the  month  is  out,  and  it  will  be  much  more  com- 
fortable cooking  under  cover  such  days  than  it  will  out 
doors ;  and,  although  I  am  out  of  the  cooking  for  the 
rest  of  the  trip,  I  appreciate  your  thoughtfulness,  and 
you  deserve  the  thanks  of  the  crowd." 


242  Wild  Woods  Life. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

An  Early  Turn-out.  —  A  Visit  to  Rump  Pond.  —  Phenomenal  Fishing. 
— Two  at  a  Time. — A  Whale.  — A  Sudden  Dive.  —  Quick  Retri- 
bution.—  The  Two  Bathers. — Capture  of  the  Large  Fish.  —  Re- 
turn to  Camp.  —  A  Visit  to  the  Cave.  —  The  Storm.  —  Buried  Alive. 
—  Short  Rations.  — A  Hard  Bed. 

IT  was  scarcely  light  Tuesday  morning  when  St. 
Clair,  awaking  suddenly,  sat  up,  and  began  rubbing 
his  eyes  to  get  them  wide  open.  After  a  moment  he 
reached  over  and  shook  Claude  and  Wingate,  who 
were  lying  near  him. 

"  Come,"  he  called,  "  it  is  daylight,  and  we  must  be 
moving,  if  we  are  going  over  to  the  pond." 

"  Confound  the  pond  !  I'm  as  sleepy  as  a  night-watch- 
man. What  is  the  use  of  starting  so  early?"  and  Win- 
gate  stretched  and  yawned  as  if  he  had  half  a  mind  to 
turn  over  and  go  to  sleep  again. 

"  Don't  be  lazy,  Charlie,"  said  Claude,  as  he  arose 
and  began  dressing;  "you  know  we  promised  to  go  ; 
and  Andrew  has  kept  his  word  in  waking  up,  and  I 
shouldn't  be  surprised  if  we  had  some  fine  fishing  this 
morning." 

Thus  importuned,  Wingate  made  a  virtue  of  necessity, 
and  the  three  boys  were  soon  dressed  and  out-of-doors. 
They  found  the  air  cool  and  bracing,  and  the  sky  bid 
fair  to  give  them  a  pleasant  day. 

Taking  their  rods  and  nets,  they  went  through  the 
woods  to  the  pond,  following  a  line  the  boys  had  spotted 


A  Big  Fish.  243 

when  they  were  over  there  before.  The  weeds,  bushes, 
and  trees  were  wet  with  dew,  and  the  walking,  on  that 
account,  was  very  disagreeable,  and  when  the  party 
reached  the  pond  and  launched  the  boat  they  were 
nearly  wet  through  in  some  places,  from  pushing 
against  the  damp  underbrush. 

Rowing  to  the  outlet  they  stopped  the  boat  and  be- 
gan casting.  Almost  as  soon  as  their  flies  touched  the 
water  several  trout  arose,  and  simultaneously  the  three 
friends  struck  their  first  fish.  All  of  them,  however, 
were  small,  neither  one  running  over  half  a  pound. 
These  were  successfully  landed,  and  again  the  flies 
were  dropped  on  the  water,  and  again  the  trout  rose  ; 
Claude  this  time  hooking  two,  one  being  about  a  quar- 
ter of  a  pound  in  weight,  while  the  ocher  would  go 
fully  three-quarters  of  a  pound. 

The  boys  now  began  to  get  excited,  as  the  sport  con- 
tinued to  increase.  Trout  after  trout  was  captured, 
and  still  there  was  no  diminution  in  the  biting. 

"  Gi-eat  Scott !  I've  hooked  a  whale  !  "  suddenly  ex- 
claimed Wingate,  with  a  flush  of  excitement,  as  his  line 
ran  rapidly  out.  and  the  slender  rod  bent  almost  double. 

"  Be  careful  how  you  play  him  !  "  cried  Claude,  who 
just  then  brought  in  a  pound  fish,  and,  laying  aside  his 
rod,  took  the  dip-net,  and  anxiously  watched  his  friend's 
movements. 

St.  Clair  also  became  too  much  interested  in  the 
battle  to  fish  himself;  and,  reeling  in  his  line,  and  two 
small  trout  at  the  same  time,  deposited  the  fish  in  the 
boat,  and  laid  his  rod  alongside  of  Claude's.  Then,  tak- 
ing the  paddle,  he  sat  ready  to  give  the  boat  a  turn  should 
an  emergency  require. 


244  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"Great  Qesar's  ghost!  the  water  is  alive  with 
them  !  "  exclaimed  Claude,  as  he  noticed  several  follow 
up  the  two  fish  that  St.  Clair  had  hooked,  while  others 
were  breaking  all  around  them. 

"  Look  out,  old  man  !  "  yelled  St.  Clair.  "  Reel  in 
lively  now ;  your  fish  has  turned  and  is  heading  for  the 
boat." 

"  I  know  it,"  responded  his  friend,  "  you  keep  the 
boat  clear  of  him,  if  you  can  ;  if  he  goes  under  it  I  shall 
lose  him." 

The  trout  came  in  a  bee-line  toward  the  centre  of  the 
boat,  Wingate  reeling  in  as  fast  as  he  could.  Just  as 
the  fish  was  about  to  pass  under  the  light  craft  St. 
Clair,  with  a  dexterous  movement  of  the  paddle,  swung 
the  boat  around,  and  the  fish  passed  by  the  end  of  it, 
and  Wingate  was  obliged  to  give  him  line  once  more. 

And  now  a  still  more  exciting  scene  in  the  act  was 
introduced.  The  fish  already  hooked  was  on  the  lower 
fly,  and  as  he  shot  by  the  boys,  another  trout,  larger 
than  any  they  had  yet  seen  in  the  pond  made  a  snap  for 
the  upper  fly,  which  was  dangling  along  on  the  surface 
of  the  water,  and  securely  hooked  himself.  This  com- 
plicated matters  considerably,  and  the  lucky  fisherman 
was  in  an  agony  of  fear,  thinking  his  rod  was  gone  up 
for  a  certainty.  Both  trout  were  lively,  and  full  of 
game,  and  would  sometimes  make  a  rush  in  opposite 
directions,  and  if  his  leader  had  not  been  an  unusually 
good  piece  of  gut,  it  would  certainly  have  parted  in  the 
frantic  struggles  of  the  frightened  fish  to  free  them- 
selves. 

After  St.  Clair  had  swung  the  boat  to  all  points  of 
the  compass  to  keep  the  trout  from  going  under  it,  they 


An   Unexpected  Bath.  245 

stilled  down  a  little,  and  Wingate  reeled  in  gently,  and 
had  nearly  coaxed  them  within  reach  of  the  landing-net, 
when  they  started  off  again,  like  a  whale  who  has  just 
been  struck  by  a  harpoon,  and  reeled  out  seventy-five 
feet  of  line  with  such  celerity,  that  the  boys  thought  they 
would  take  it  all.  This  disaster  did  not  happen,  how- 
ever, for  the  trout  suddenly  stopped,  and  went  to  bottom, 
where  they  sulked  for  half  an  hour,  before  Wingate  was 
enabled  to  bring  them  to  the  surface  again. 

They  were  not  so  vicious  now,  and,  after  fifteen 
minutes  of  good  management  on  the  part  of  the  plucky 
young  fisherman,  whose  arms  and  wrists  ached  so  badly 
he  could  scarcely  hold  his  rod,  he  worked  them  near 
enough  to  the  boat  for  Claude  to  pass  the  landing-net 
under  them.  His  friend  reached  out  with  the  net,  and 
had  it  fairly  under  the  fish,  and  was  just  about  to  lift 
them  out  of  the  water,  when  St.  Clair,  who  had  become 
too  excited  to  sit  still,  arose  to  his  feet,  and,  as  he  did 
so,  tipped  the  boat,  with  a  jerk  that  threw  him  back 
into  his  seat,  and  pitched  Claude  head-first  into  the 
pond,  still  holding  fast  to  the  net. 

"  What  in  thunder  are  you  up  to?"  exclaimed  Win- 
gate,  who  had  come  very  near  following  Claude,  sur- 
prised by  his  friend's  disappearance. 

"  It  was  an  accident — I  didn't  mean  to  —  lookout 
for  your  trout ! "  replied  St.  Clair  in  a  breath,  as  the 
fish,  frightened  by  the  splash  near  them,  started  off 
again  with  a  rush,  evidently  thinking  some  leviathan  of 
their  own  species  was  about  to  swallow  them. 

In  a  moment  Claude  came  to  the  surface,  sputtering 
and  blowing  the  water  from  his  mouth  and  nose,  and 
struck  out  for  the  boat. 


246  Wild  Woods  Life. 


"I  hope  you  haven't  lost  those  trout,"  he  called,  as 
soon  as  he  could  speak. 

"No,  they  are  on  yet,"  replied  Wingate,  who  was 
trying  to  check  them. 

"Take  this  landing-net,  will  you,  St.  Clair?"  called 
Claude,  swimming  to  the  boat. 

St.  Clair  swung  the  stern  of  the  boat  around  towards 
his  friend,  and  grasped  hold  of  the  landing-net.  Just  as 
he  obtained  a  good  grip  on  it,  Claude  gave  his  end  a 
sudden  jerk,  and  in  a  second  St.  Clair  had  also  taken 
a  header  into  the  pond,  while  the  violent  rocking  of  the 
boat  caused. Wingate  to  take  a  seat  in  the  centre  of  the 
craft  a  little,  harder  than  he  meant  to.  As  he  dropped, 
his  knuckles  struck  so  hard  on  the  gunwale  of  the  boat 
that  he  involuntarily  loosened  his  grasp  on  the  rod,  and 
a  second  later  the  trout  were  towing  it  around  the 
pond. 

"  Now  you  are  as  wet  as  I  am  ! "  cried  Claude,  glee- 
fully, as  St.  Clair  rose  to  the  surface,  puffing  and  blow- 
ing like  a  grampus. 

"  That  was  a  mean  trick,  Claude  ! "  responded  Andrew 
with  a  laugh,  as,  still  grasping  the  net,  he  swam  with 
his  friend  toward  the  boat. 

"  I  don't  see  anything  mean  about  it,"  retorted 
Claude;  "lowed  you  one,  and  I  paid  it,  —  that  was 
all." 

"  I  should  think  both  of  you  were  crazy,"  called  back 
Wingate,  who  had  picked  up  himself  and  the  paddle  at 
the  same  time,  and  was  chasing  his  rod.  "  If  I  lose 
these  trout  I'll  make  you  both  swim  ashore." 

"  That  wouldn't  be  any  hardship,"  responded 
Claude. 


A  Splendid  Catch.  247 

"  Not  a  bit,"  echoed  Andrew. 

A  few  moments'  paddling  enabled  Wingate  to  over- 
take, and  secure  his  rod,  and,  as  the  fish  were  now 
quiet,  he  put  a  little  strain  upon  them,  and  found  they 
would  bear  it. 

"  Hurry  up,  fellows!"  he  called  to  his  friends;  "I 
think  we  can  net  the  trout  now." 

"  Coming  as  fast  as  possible,"  returned  Claude. 
"  It's  heavy  swimming  with  your  clothes  on." 

The  two  swimmers  soon  reached  the  boat ;  and,  while 
Claude  and  Wingate  steadied  her,  St.  Clair  passed  in 
the  landing  net,  and  climbed  in  over  the  bow,  then 
assisted  Claude  to  get  in. 

Wingate  now  succeeded  in  getting  the  two  trout 
within  reach  of  the  landing-net  once  more,  and  Claude 
slipped  it  under  the  fish,  and  a  moment  later  they  were 
in  the  boat,  —  a  prize  that  any  angler  might  well  be  proud 
of.  Taking  a  pair  of  small  scales  from  his  pocket, 
Wingate  weighed  each  fish  separately,  and  found  that 
one  weighed  two  pounds,  and  the  other  two  and  three- 
quarters,  making  four  and  three-quarters  pounds  of 
trout  at  one  catch,  and  the  boys  cheered  at  the 
result. 

"The  fun  is  over,  fellows,"  remai'ked  St.  Clair, 
"  and  we  must  be  getting  back  to  camp.  I  begin  to 
feel  chilly." 

"  So  do  I,  and  the  sooner  we  get  on  some  dry  cloth- 
ing, the  less  likelihood  of  taking  cold,"  and  Claude, 
seizing  the  oars,  gave  a  few  vigorous  strokes  that  sent 
the  boat  spinning  to  the  shore. 

They  had  left  their  baskets  at  camp,  and,  after  taking 
the  boat  carefully  from  the  water,  cut  some  sticks,  and 


248  Wild  Woods  Life. 

strung  their  fish,  and  then  started  at  a  brisk  pace  for 
their  tent. 

It  was  eight  o'clock  when  they  walked  into  camp, 
and  found  their  friends  waiting  breakfast  for  them. 
Beside  the  two  large  trout,  they  had  brought  in  ninety 
small  ones,  a  few  of  which,  however,  run  as  high  as  a 
pound  each,  and  their  companions  first  congratulated 
them  on  their  success,  and  then  shouted  with  surprise, 
as  they  caught  sight  of  the  two  larger  trout. 

"Jupiter  and  Saturn!"  exclaimed  the  cook,  "you 
did  not  find  those  trout  in  Rump  Pond,  did  you?" 

"  Nowhere  else,"  retorted  Wingate. 

"  How  much  do  they  weigh?  "  asked  Maynard. 

"  One  weighs  two,  and  the  other  two  and  three- 
quarters." 

"  They  are  beauties,"  said  Phil,  as  he  stepped  up  to 
admire  them. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  you  and  St.  Clair?"  in- 
quired Adams,  addressing  Claude.  "  You  look  wet." 

"No,  only  a  trifle  damp,"  laughed  the  leader  of  the 
party. 

"  Been  into  the  pond?"  queried  LeRoy  with  a  smile 
on  his  face. 

"  Ask  Wingate,"  returned  Claude.  "I  am  going  to 
change  my  clothes,  and  then  I'll  be  ready  to  eat  as 
much  breakfast  as  any  fellow  in  the  party." 

"  You  were  always  ready  to  do  that,"  responded  St. 
Clair,  as  he  followed  Claude  to  the  tent,  also  anxious 
to  exchange  his  wet  clothes  for  dry  ones. 

"  Did  your  boat  capsize,  Wingate?  "  asked  the  cook, 
as  his  two  wet  friends  disappeared  in  the  tent. 

"  No,"  with  a  laugh  as  he  recalled  the  comical  cir- 
cumstance ;  "  but  it  came  pretty  near  it." 


Another  Visit  to  the  Cave.  249 

"  How  did  they  get  wet,  then?" 

"I'll  tell  you"  ;  and,  still  chuckling  at  the  remem- 
brance, Wingate  related  the  stoiy,  and  when  he  reached 
the  point,  where  Claude  caused  St.  Clair  to  quickly 
take  such  a  header,  they  roared  until  the  woods  re- 
sounded with  their  laughter,  and  causing  Nap  to  turn 
his  head  toward  them  and  listen,  while  Lightfoot 
gazed  in  their  direction  with  astonishment. 

"Come,  Adams,  bring  on  your  breakfast,"  called 
Claude,  as  he  and  St.  Clair  emerged  from  the  tent  in 
their  dry  clothing;  "  I  feel  fairly  faint,  I'm  so  hungry." 

"  It  gives  a  fellow  an  appetite  to  turn  out  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning,"  added  St.  Clair,  as  the  boys 
took  seats  at  the  table,  where  they  were  immediately 
joined  by  the  rest  of  the  company. 

"  What  is  the  order  of  the  day?  what  are  we  going  to 
do  ?  "  queried  Phil  with  a  comprehensive  glance  around 
the  table. 

"Eat,"  replied  Wingate,  with  a  grin,  as  he  sweetened 
his  coffee. 

"  Nonsense  ;  I  mean  where  are  we  going?" 

"  Why,  don't  you  say  what  you  mean,  then," 
bantered  St.  Clair. 

"Haven't  I?" 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  fellows  are  going  to  do," 
said  Adams;  "  but  Maynard  and  I  have  concluded  to 
stay  at  camp,  and  finish  our  shanty." 

"A  good  idea,"  returned  Phil. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I  propose,  fellows,"  said  Claude. 
"An  excursion  to  that  gave  which  you  visited  when 
Phil  and  I  were  away." 

"  Yes,  boys,  let's  pay  it  a  visit,  and  see  if  we  can't  find 


250  Wild  Woods  Life. 

another  bat,"  and  Phil  laughed  at  the  remembrance  of 
the  bat  incident. 

"That  will  suit  me,"  added  Wingate,  "as  well  as 
anything.  It's  going  to  be  a  little  cooler  to-day,  and  it 
will  be  a  good  time  to  take  it  in." 

"I  should  like  to  go  there  again,  first-rate,"  declared 
Le  Roy. 

"  And  I  too,"  said  St.  Clair. 

"How  pleasant  it  is,  eating  out-doors!"  remarked 
Maynard. 

"  Yes,  it  is,"  returned  Claude  ;  "  and  we  may  as  well 
enjoy  it  while  we  can,  for  we  shall  have  some  rainy 
days  before  long,  when  we  shall  be  obliged  to  eat  in 
our  tent." 

"I  suppose  you  will  take  a  lunch  with  you?"  and 
Adams  looked  inquiringly  at  his  friends. 

"Yes,"  answered  Claude;  "  as  soon  as  breakfast  is 
over,  put  it  up." 

"And  remember,"  added  Phil;  "you  have  five 
hungry  fellows  to  provide  for." 

"We  had  better  take  a  lantern  with  us  this  time," 
suggested  Le  Roy. 

"  Yes,  we'll  take  two,"  added  Phil,  "  the  more 
light  we  have,  the  better." 

At  half-past  nine  the  exploring  party,  as  Claude 
called  it,  started.  Each  one  carried  their  fire-arm, 
and,  in  addition  to  these,  an  axe,  two  lanterns,  and  a 
pail  of  lunch  were  distributed  among  them.  \ 

Adams  and  Maynard  ferried  them  across  the  river, 
and  the  party  struck  out  for  the  mountain,  following, 
as  nearly  as  possible,  the  same  route  that  the  boys 
had  passed  over  in  their  former  visit. 


SJ tooting  Partridges.  251 

About  half-way  to  the  cave,  while  crossing  a  log- 
ing-road,  they  were  fortunate  enough  to  flush  a 
large  flock  of  partridges,  and  they  secured  seven  of 
them.  Not  wishing  to  be  bothered  with  the  birds  on 
their  tramp,  they  tied  them  together,  and  hung  them 
to  the  limb  of  a  spruce,  to  await  their  return. 

They  reached  the  cave  at  half-past  twelve,  and  took 
their  lunch  at  the  entrance.  Then,  lighting  the  lan- 
terns, they  crawled  into  the  passage,  and  worked  their 
way  along  until  they  reached  the  point  where  they 
were  able  to  walk,  and  then  rose  to  their  feet. 

As  they  strode  along,  the  gleam  from  their  lanterns 
penetrated  the  darkness  ahead  of  them,  while  the 
walls  of  the  passage  echoed  to  their  voices  and  tread. 

"I  wonder  who  could  have  done  this,"  remarked 
Claude,  "  it  must  have  been  a  long,  hard  job." 

"Some  miner  I  think,"  replied  Le  Roy.  "We 
found  a  thin  vein  of  silver  in  one  of  the  walls,"  and 
several  croppings  of  lead. 

"A  lead  mine  would  not  pay  way  up  here  in  the 
woods,  even  if  a  large  amount  of  it  could  be  found. 
The  transportation  of  the  ore  out  to  where  it  could  be 
marketed  would  eat  up  all  the  profits  of  mining," 
said  Phil. 

"Probably  the  men,  whoever  they  were,  expected 
to  find  gold,"  added  St.  Clair. 

"Suppose  we  should  find  a  bear  in  here?"«  and 
Wingate  looked  a  little  uneasy  at  the  thought. 

"  Bah !  We  shall  not  have  any  such  luck,"  de- 
clared Claude.  "It  is  not  time  for  bears  to  begin  to 
den  up  yet.  They  are  roaming  about  the  country  now, 
subsisting  on  berries,  and  hunting  for  bee's  nests.  A 


252  Wild  Woods  Life. 


month  or  six  weeks  later,  I  should  think,  there  might 
be  some  likelihood  of  it,  but  not  now." 

"  Well,  here  we  are,"  said  Le  Roy,  who  was  in 
advance,  as  he  entered  the  cave,  and  flashed  his  lan- 
tern around  the  apartment. 

"  Why,  it's  a  large  cave ! "  and  Claude  glanced 
about.  "  It  must  be  fifty  feet  square." 

"It  is  not  very  high,  though,"  added  Phil.  "  It 
can't  be  over  ten  feet." 

"Just  about  that,"  replied  Claude,  glancing  at  the 
roof. 

St.  Clair,  who  held  one  of  the  lanterns,  now  paced 
across  the  cave,  and,  returning,  said  he  made  it  just 
sixty  feet. 

"  I  would  like  to  know  if  that  confounded  bat  is 
here?"  queried  Le  Roy,  peering  around  at  the 
walls. 

At  'this  the  boys  laughed,  and,  flashing  the  lanterns 
about,  looked  in  every  direction,  but  could  see  no  sign 
of  life. 

"  I  guess  you  frightened  the  bat  as  badly  as  he 
frightened  you,"  chuckled  Phil. 

"  Where  is  the  skeleton?"  inquired  Claude. 

"  In  this  corner,"  and  St.  Clair  led  the  way  to  the 
mass  of  bones. 

The  boys  inspected  and  theorized  over  them  for 
some  time,  and  then  Le  Roy  called  the  attention  of 
Claude  and  Phil  to  the  silver  and  lead. 

"  Let's  have  some  souvenirs  of  this  place,  fellows," 
proposed  Claude,  and,  taking  the  axe,  he  knocked  off 
some  pieces  of  the  ore  containing  both  silver  and 
lead.  He  distributed  these  among  his  companions, 


Winzate  Sold.  253 


and  also  pocketed  two  pieces  for  Adams  and  May- 
nard,  thinking  they  might  like  to  have  them. 

"  When  we  get  home  we  ought  to  form  a  company, 
and  call  it  the  Parmachenee  Silver  Mining  Company, 
and  come  up  here  and  work  this  mine,"  said  Le  Roy. 

"Yes,  and  starve  to  death  in  the  attempt,  as  perhaps 
yonder  poor  fellow  did,"  retorted  Claude. 

"  There  is  one  good  thing  about  this  cave,"  asserted 
Phil  ;  "  it's  clean  and  dry." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Wingate  ;  "  it  would  make  a  splendid 
home  for  some  dime-novel  brigand,  if  there  were  only 
any  people  up  here  for  him  to  rob." 

"  Right  you  are,"  returned  Claude,  "  and  with  two 
or  three  well-armed  companions  he  could  '  hold  the 
fort'  against  a  whole  regiment." 

As  the  boys  had  not  examined  the  whole  of  the  walls 
carefully  on  their  former  visit,  they  now  did  so,  and 
were  rewarded  by  finding  several  other  places  where 
thin  veins  of  silver  and  outcroppings  of  lead  were  dis- 
cernible. 

Wingate  excited  them  all  by  shouting  that  he  had 
found  some  gold,  and  the  boys  rushed  to  where  he  was 
sharply  examining  a  place  in  the  wall,  holding  the  lan- 
tern close  to  it  and  trying  to  dig  out  some  with  his  knife. 

"Where's  your  gold?"  asked  Le  Roy,  as  the  party 
gathered  eagerly  around  Wingate. 

"  Here  !     Don't  you  see  it?  " 

Le  Roy  gazed  at  the  yellowish  rock  and  smiled  as  he 
said  :  — 

"  You  won't  get  rich  out  of  that  stuff,  Charlie.  Its 
nothing  but  iron  pyrites.  Many  a  green  miner  has 
been  sold  by  that  same  article." 


254  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  It's  time  we  were  getting  out  of  here,"  asserted 
Claude,  holding  his  watch  to  the  lantern  Wingate  car- 
ried ;  "  it's  three  o'clock." 

"  By  gracious  !  how  the  time  flies  up  here  !  "  remarked 
Phil.  "  The  days  slide. away  as  if  they  were  greased." 

"  Go  ahead,  Wingate,  with  your  lantern,"  said  St. 
Clair,  "  and  I'll  bring  up  the  rear  with  mine,  and  then 
we  can  all  see." 

't  How  far  do  you  suppose  it  is  from  the  top  of  the 
cave  to  the  outside  of  the  mountain,  Claude?" 

"  I  don't  know,  Phil.  The  path  we  came  in  by  has 
a  pretty  heavy  descent  all  the  way,  and  the  mountain 
slopes  upward.  It  may  be  a  hundred  feet  for  all  I 
know." 

"  Come  along,  fellows,"  cried  Wingate,  as  he  started 
up  the  passage-way.  . 

The  boys  made  good  progress  until  they  reached 
that  part  of  the  tunnel  where  they  had  to  crawl  on 
their  hands  and  knees,  and  then  their  advance  was 
necessarily  slow.  They  finally  reached  the  sharp  turn 
before  spoken  of  as  being  about  six  feet  from  the  en- 
trance, and,  swinging  around  this  became  aware  that 
a  frightful  tempest  was  going  on  outside,  and  which 
they  now  heard  for  the  first  time. 

The  rain  poured  in  torrents,  the  lightning  flashed  into 
the  entrance  with  a  brilliancy  that  momentarily  blinded 
them,  and  the  thunder  reverberated  above  them  like  the 
roar  of  cannon,  and  seemed  fairly  to  shake  the  moun- 
tain. 

"  Phew  !  "  cried  Wingate,  as  he  crawled  within  three 
feet  of  the  hole,  and  felt  the  rain  blown  into  his  face, 
"  there's  an  awful  row  going  on  outside,  I  think  we 


A  Fearfnl  Storm.  257 

had  better  stay  where  we  are  awhile,  and  see  if  the 
storm  don't  let  up  some  presently.  It's  raining  cats  and 
dogs  now." 

"  That  is  the  best  thing  we  can  do,"  replied  Claude, 
who  was  next  behind  Wingate.  "  Probably  this  is  only 
a  shower,  and  will  pass  over  in  a  half  an  hour  or  so." 

"We  shall  have  to  get  back  around  the  turn  in  the 
passage ;  the  rain  is  coming  in  here,"  and  Wingate 
called  Claude's  attention  to  a  small  stream  that  had 
begun  to  form  under  him,  and  was  running  down  the 
path. 

Just  then  a  furious  gust  of  wind  swept  into  the 
passage  with  a  howl,  and  extinguished  Wingate's  lan- 
tern, beside  drenching  him  with  rain. 

"Tell  the  boys  to  back  down  the  path,  Claude,  I 
can't  stand  this,"  and  Wingate  made  a  lively  backward 
movement  to  get  out  of  the  reach  of  the  rain  and  wind, 
which  seemed  raw  and  chilly,  in  spite  of  the  thunder 
and  lightning. 

Claude  did  as  Wingate  asked,  but  the  backward 
movement  of  the  party  was  suddenly  stopped  by  an 
unusual  heavy  clap  of  thunder,  accompanied  by  another 
flash  of  lightning  that  fairly  seemed  to  burn  them,  it 
was  so  sharp.  At  the  same  moment  a  roar  and  crash, 
that  sounded  above  the  din  of  the  tempest,  startled  and 
frightened  the  boys,  and  it  seemed  to  them  as  if  the 
mountain  was  being  torn  in  pieces.  The  roar  and 
crash  were  followed  by  a  grinding  and  thumping 
noise,  and  immediately  after  the  entrance  of  the  cave 
was  darkened. 

"For  Heaven's  sake,  what  was  that?"  shouted  Le 
Roy,  who,  being  around  the  turn,  had  heard  the  noise, 


258  Wild  Woods  Life. 

but  could  not  guess  the  cause.  "  Claude,  Wingate," 
he  called,  "are  either  of  you  hurt?" 

"No,  we  are  all  right,"  cried  Wingate;  "but,  O 
boys !  "  and  there  was  a  tremor  in  his  voice,  "  a  fear- 
ful thing  has  happened  ;  we  are  buried  alive ! " 

"  Buried  alive?"  cried  the  boys  with  a  shout  that 
echoed  and  reechoed  down  the  dark  passage-way 
behind  them. 

"  T"es,  buried  alive  I" 

For  the  second  time  Wingate  made  this  appalling 
announcement,  and  then  a  most  painful  silence  ensued, 
in  marked  contrast  to  the  horrible  din  outside. 

For  a  few  moments  the  boys  were  completely  over- 
whelmed with  the  bitterness  of  the  situation.  Then 
they  rallied  from  the  shock,  and  began  thinking  how 
they  could  best  extricate  themselves  from  the  most 
unfortunate  dilemma  in  which  they  found  themselves 
placed.  Finally,  Claude  broke  the  oppressive  silence. 

"What  do  you  think  has  happened,  Wingate?  Has 
there  been  an  earthquake  ?  " 

"The  Lord  alone  knows,  for  I  don't.  Wait  a 
moment  until  I  light  my  lantern  again,  and  I  will  try 
and  find  out  what  the  trouble  is.  All  I  know  now  is 
the  entrance  to  the  passage  is  closed." 

Lighting  his  lantern  Wingate  crawled  as  near  the 
entrance  as  he  could  get,  closely  followed  by  Claude. 
After  a  few  moments'  investigation  he  became  convinced 
that  a  large  boulder  had  been  loosened  from  its  bed 
by  the  storm,  and  had  rolled  down  the  mountain,  lodg- 
ing in  a  hollow  in  front  of  the  entrance  of  the  cave,  and 
completely  covering  up  the  hole,  with  the  exception  of 
two  small  places  each  side  of  the  passage-way,  perhaps 


Buried  Alive.  259 


four  inches  in  circumference,  and  through  these  a  dull 
streak  of  daylight  appeared. 

He  announced  his  discovery  to  his  companions,  who 
sent  up  a  wail  of  regret  at  the  apparent  hopelessness  of 
their  position. 

"  Let  me  take  a  look  at  things,  will  you?"  said  Claude, 
and  Wingate  backed  on  his  hands  and  knees  to  a  place 
where  Claude  could  pass  him,  the  entrance  to  the  pas- 
sage being  so  narrow  that  only  one  could  enter  at  a 
time. 

Claude  took  Wingate's  lantern,  and  ci'awled  to  where 
the  boulder  lay  at  the  mouth  of  the  passage,  and  exam- 
ined the  surroundings  thoroughly.  He  found  the  bottom 
and  top,  as  well  as  both  sides,  composed  of  solid  ledge, 
that  did  not  offer  the  slightest  chance  for  excavation. 

Setting  the  lantern  down  he  passed  his  hands  through 
the  holes  each  side  of  the  passage,  and  felt  about  on  the 
outside  to  see  if  there  were  any  broken  rocks  under  or 
near  the  boulder  that  imprisoned  them. 

He  found  quite  a  number  of  loose  stones,  but  they 
were  all  too  heavy  for  him  to  move  with  one  hand,  and 
any  hopes  that  he  had  formed  of  being  able  to  dig  them- 
selves out  from  the  inside  were  thus  nipped  in  the 
bud. 

"  A  bad  egg  !  "  he  muttered  to  himself.  "  By  Jove  ! 
we  are  in  a  tight  place,  and  no  mistake  about  it.  I'd 
give  a  hundred  dollars  for  a  keg  of  powder  !  " 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Claude?  "  asked  Wingate, 
who  had  crawled  up  to  his  friend  just  as  he  had  finished 
his  soliloquy. 

"  It  looks  bad.  I  don't  see  as  we  can  help  ourselves 
a  particle." 


260  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  That  was  the  way  it  struck  me." 

"  Crawl  back,  will  you,  Wingate?  and  we'll  return  to 
the  cave  and  talk  it  over." 

The  boys  retreated  to  the  apartment  they  had  lately 
left,  with  very  different  feelings  from  those  with  which 
'they  had  entered  it,  and  Claude  blew  out  the  lantern  he 
carried,  as  they  grouped  around  him,  remarking  that 
they  had  better  save  what  light  they  could,  and  that  one 
lantern  would  do  to  talk  by. 

"Well,  Claude,  how  are  we  going  to  get  out?"  in- 
quired Le  Roy. 

"  That's  a  conundrum  that  I  don't  know  whether  I 
can  answer  or  not.  Of  one  thing,  however,  I  am  con- 
vinced, —  that  whatever  help  we  have  must  come  from 
the  outside.  We  can  do  nothing  toward  freeing  our- 
selves. 

"True  as  gospel !"  echoed  Wingate. 

"  This  is  a  nice  kettle  of  fish  !  "  added  Phil.  "  Don't 
I  wish  I  was  at  camp  ?  " 

"  We  may  as  well  take  it  easy,  fellows,"  said  Claude, 
as  he  sat  down  on  the  floor  of  the  apartment  and  leaned 
back  against  the  wall,  the  other  boys  seating  themselves 
near  him.  "  Things  are  not  so  bad  as  they  might  be, 
for  the  cave  is  dry  and  warm,  and  the  air  here  is  not 
bad,  and  that  is  so  much  in  our  favor." 

"  That's  all  very  well,"  remained  St.  Clair  ;  "  but  how 
are  we  going  to  get  out  of  this  coop?  —  that  is  what  I 
should  like  to  know." 

"  I  can  see  only  one  way,"  returned  Claude,  "  and 
that  is,  to  stay  here  until  Adams  and  Maynard  come  to 
look  us  up,  which  they  probably  will  do  to-morrow 
morning." 


In  a  Tight  Place.  261 

"  That's  a  charming  prospect !  "  responded  Phil ; 
"  nothing  to  eat,  and  a  stone  floor  for  a  mattress  ! " 

"Who  has  the  lunch-pail?"   inquired  Claude. 

"  I  have,"  answered  Le  Roy. 

"Anything  in  it?" 

"Hold  your  lantern,  St.  Clair,  and  I  will  see."         • 

St.  Clair  did  as  directed,  and  Le  Roy  reported 
that  there  were  three  doughnuts,  two  biscuit,  and  a 
slice  of  meat. 

"  We  shall  have  to  divide  that  as  fairly  as  we  can 
at  supper-time,"  said  Claude,  "for  it  is  all  we  shall 
get  until  sometime  to-morrow.  It  is  four  o'clock, 
now,"  glancing  at  his  watch,  by  the  aid  of  St.  Clair's 
lantern,  "and  we  can  wait  until  seven  before  we 
eat." 

"  But,  suppose  we  don't  get  anything  to  eat  to- 
morrow ? "  and  Phil  gazed  at  Claude  anxiously. 

"Then  we  shall  have  to  do  without  it,  and  draw 
our  belts  a  little  tighter,"  replied  the  leader,  forcing  a 
smile. 

"  What  troubles  me  most,"  said  Wingate,  who  had 
been  thinking  over  their  position,  "  is  the  fact  that 
after  the  boys  come  here,  as  they  undoubtedly  will, 
to-morrow  forenoon,  they  may  not  be  able  to  get 
that  rock  away  from  the  mouth  of  the  passage-way. 
It  may  weigh  two  or  three  tons  for  all  we  know,  and 
if  they  can't  move  it,  we  are  in  a  nice  pickle." 

"  I  don't  imagine  they  can  wink  it  by  main  force. 
They  will  have  to  try  science.  If  there  are  loose 
rocks  outside  of  it,  or  under  it,  they  will  have  to  dig 
them  away  in  front,  and  from  underneath,  until  it 
will  roll  down  the  mountain  of  itself,  or  pry  it  away 


262  Wild  Woods  Life, 

with  levers.  Anyhow,"  continued  Claude,  brighten- 
ing up,  "  we  shall  not  starve,  for  there  are  two  small 
holes, — one  each  side  of  the  rock,  —  and  through  these 
the  boys  can  pass  us  some  grub." 

"  Suppose  they  can't  move  it  at  all,"  remarked  St. 
Clair. 

"  Then  one  of  them  will  have  to  go  down  to  Flint's 
camp,  and  get  help  enough  to  come  up  here  and  get  the 
stone  away,  while  the  other  keeps  us  from  starving." 

"Don't  you  suppose  they  will  look  us  up  to-night?" 
inquired  Phil. 

"  No,  sir ;  I  don't.  In  the  first  place  they  would 
not  give  us  up  at  camp  before  nine  or  ten  o'clock  ;  and 
in  the  second,  we  have  both  the  lanterns,  and  they 
could  never  find  their  way  here  in  the  dark." 

"  That's  so  ;  I  forgot  we  had  both  the  lanterns." 

"And,  speaking  of  lanterns,"  continued  Claude, 
"  we  had  better  put  this  one  out.  We  can  talk  just  as 
well  in  the  dark,  and  we  can  light  it  when  we  eat. 
We  may  need  the  light  more  to-morrow  than  we 
do  to-night." 

The  lantern  was  extinguished,  and  the  boys  sat 
talking  in  the  midnight  gloom,  their  voices  echoing 
strangely  through  the  stone  vault.  Several  schemes 
for  releasing  themselves  were  proposed,  but  each  one 
was  given  up  as  impracticable,  and,  after  talking  for  sev- 
eral hours,  Claude  lit  a  match,  and  found  it  was 
quarter  to  seven. 

"  Let's  have  our  supper,  fellows,"  he  remarked, 
adding  jocosely,  "  it  won't  require  much  time  to  eat  it ;" 
and,  taking  the  lunch-pail  he  divided  its  contents  as 
evenly  as  possible  among  his  comrades. 


Short  Rations.  263 


"By  gracious!  Shouldn't  I  like  a  drink  of  water? 
I'm  half  choked  !  "  cried  Wingate  as  he  munched  a 
piece  of  dry  biscuit. 

"And  so  am  I,"  echoed  his  friend.  When  they 
had  eaten  the  little  food  that  remained  from  their  din- 
ner Claude  announced  his  intention  of  going  up  to  the 
entrance  before  he  blew  out  the  lantern,  and  see  if  the 
weather  had  cleared  up. 

His  friends  accompanied  him,  and,  when  he  reached 
the  big  boulder  that  formed  their  prison  door,  he 
listened  with  his  ear  to  one  of  the  holes  on  the  side,  and 
found  the  rain  was  still  coming  down  hard,  while  the 
wind  blew  a  gale.  The  thunder  and  lightning  had 
stopped,  however,  but  the  air  that  came  in  through  the 
cracks  seemed  a  great  deal  colder  than  it  had  during 
the  day.  As  he  backed  away  from  the  rock  he  was 
delighted  to  find  a  little  stream  of  water,  that  trickled 
down  on  the  back  side  of  it,  filling  a  small  hollow  on 
the  bottom  of  the  passage,  and  then  flowing  down  the 
path.  Although  he  had  not  mentioned  it  he  was  fully 
as  thirsty  as  his  companions,  and,  lying  flat,  he  put  his 
lips  to  the  small,  cup-like  orifice,  and  soon  appeased  his 
thirst. 

"Is  it  storming?"  asked  Phil,  a  short  distance  be- 
hind him. 

"Yes;  the  wind  is  blowing  hard,  and  the  rain  is 
coming  down  lively.  It  don't  thunder  or  lighten  any. 
But  let  me  get  back ;  I  have  found  some  water  here, 
and  just  had  a  good  drink,  and  you  had  better  all  fill 
up,  for  it  is  only  surface  water,  and  we  shall  lose  it  as 
soon  as  the  rain  is  over." 

His  friends  required  no  urging,  for  they  all  felt  as  if 


264  Wild  Woods  Life. 

their  mouths  were  parched,  although  they  had  only  been 
without  water  about  six  hours. 

Claude  left  the  lantern  so  the  next  one  could  see,  and 
backing  down  the  passage  to  where  two  could  pass, 
Phil  went  by  him,  and  took  a  drink,  and  one  after 
another  the  remaining  three  boys  assuaged  their  thirst, 
when  all  returned  to  the  cave. 

The  light  was  once  more  extinguished,  and  the  boys 
amused  themselves  in  various  ways  for  the  next  three 
hours,  and  then  Claude  remarked,  "  that  he  did  not 
know  if  he  could  sleep  any,  but  he  was  going  to  try  it, 
anyway,"  and,  stretching  out  on  the  hard  floor,  with 
his  head  pillowed  on  his  arm,  he  tried  to  woo  the 
drowsy  god,  but  with  indifferent  success.  The  rest  of 
the  party  concluded  they  would  try  it  also,  and  a  deathly 
stillness  reigned  throughout  the  apartment,  the  sound 
of  the  storm  not  reaching  the  cave,  embowelled  as  it 
was  in  the  mountain. 

"Call  me  in  time  to  build  the  fire  in  the  morning, 
will  you,  Claude?"  said  Phil,  as  he  shut  his  eyes,  and 
tried  to  pick  out  a  soft  place  in  the  rock  on  which  to 
lay  his  bones. 

"  I  will  if  you  want  me  to,"  and,  with  a  laugh,  "if 
you  build  the  fire,  I'll  get  breakfast." 

"  What  good  Samaritans,  you  are  !  You  won't  leave 
any  work  for  the  rest  of  us,"  and  Wingate,  who  was 
lying  on  his  right  side,  reached  under  and  picked  out 
a  stone  the  size  of  an  egg,  that  had  been  digging  into 
his  ribs  for  two  or  three  minutes,  and  then  drew  him- 
self into  a  heap  and  quieted  down. 

And  in  these  snug  quarters  —  I  might  say  too  snug  — 
we  leave  them,  and  return  to  the  camp. 


The  Gathering  Storm.  265 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Kitchen  Finished.  —  A  Terrible  Storm.  —  Thunder  and  Lightning. 
—  Killing  Time.  —  The  Two  Strangers.  —  Pork  and  Hardtack.  — 
Building  a  Fire  Under  Difficulties.  —  A  Rainy  Night.  —  Where  are 
the  Boys?  —  Determination  of  Maynard  to  Seek  them  in  the 
Morning. 

AFTER  their  friends  had  left  them,  Adams  and  May- 
nard cleared  up  the  dishes  and  attended  to  their  other 
camp  duties,  anJ  ^bout  eleven  o'clock  began  to  finish 
the  shanty.  They  worked  on  it  hard,  stopping  only 
a  few  moments  at  noon  to  take  a  cold  lunch  ;  and  at 
two  o'clock,  when  the  first  mutterings  of  the  storm 
reached  them,  they  had  it  completed,  and  the  stove  set 
up  in  it. 

Before  the  tempest  broke  upon  them  they  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  all  of  the  cooking  utensils  under  the 
shanty,  with  several  armfuls  of  dry  wood,  and  then 
moved  the  dining-table  into  the  tent. 

The  prelude  to  the  storm  was  a  mass  of  black  clouds 
driving  rapidly  across  the  sky,  dropping  down  so  as  to 
cover  the  mountain  tops.  Then  a  heavy  roar  of  thunder, 
at  first  distant,  but  gradually  nearing  them,  accompanied 
by  occasional  flashes  of  lightning.  Then  came  the 
rain.  Slowly  at  first,  in  large  drops,  then  swifter,  until 
it  resembled  a  flood,  and  the  thunder  and  lightning  be- 
came almost  continuous. 

The  boys  moved  swiftly   around  the  camp,  putting 


266  Wild  Woods  Life. 

different  articles  under  shelter,  and  getting  things  in 
order  until  the  force  of  the  rain  compelled  them  to  sus- 
pend operations,  and  they  took  refuge  in  the  tent, 
where,  throwing  themselves  on  their  blankets,  they 
listened  to  the  storm  that  howled  through  the  trees  with 
a  fury  that  threatened  to  level  some  of  them  before  it 
was  over. 

The  first  onset  of  the  storm  was  the  worst,  because 
the  wind  came  in  gusts,  some  of  which  tried  hard  to 
upset  the  tents  ;  but  the  boys  had  them  well  secured, 
and,  although  the  canvas  shook  and  flapped,  the  numer- 
ous pins  firmly  driven  into  the  ground  held  them  in 
place. 

After  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  had  passed  the  wind 
settled  down  into  a  steady  blow ;  but  for  an  hour  or 
more  the  lightning  flashed  with  an  unearthly  brilliancy, 
and  the  thunder  roared  with  a  noise  that  was  almost 
deafening.  There  was  no  hold-up  to  the  rain,  how- 
ever, if  w?  may  except  an  occasional  slackening,  when 
Adams  would  remark,  "  that  it  had  merely  let  go  for 
a  moment  to  get  a  better  hold." 

The  thoughts  of  the  boys  naturally  turned  to  their 
friends,  and,  after  sitting  silent  for  some  time,  Maynard 
glanced  at  his  watch  and  said,  — 

"Half-past  two;  it's  about  time  the  fellows  were 
starting  for  camp." 

"  They  are  fools  if  they  start  in  this  rain,"  declared 
Adams. 

"  That  cave  is  dry  and  warm,  and  they'll  stay  in  it 
until  the  storm  is  over.  The  rain  will  probably  stop 
in  an  hour  or  two." 

"  Don't  look  much  like  it  now.     By  Jove  !  that  flash 


A   Talk  about  the  Absent.  267 

of  lightning  made  me  cringe.  I  don't  like  this  fire- 
works part  of  the  business"  ;  and  Maynard  turned  a 
shade  paler  as  the  thunder  crashed  apparently  directly 
over  their  tent. 

"No,  sir,"  responded  Adams;  "you  won't  catch 
them  frogging  it  through  the  woods  in  this  storm. 
I  shouldn't  mind  the  rain  so  much,  but  this  thunder  and 
lightning  is  terrific." 

"  A  ducking  won't  hurt  anybody  ;  but,  as  you  say,  I 
don't  like  the  lightning.  It  seems  to  me  it  is  a  great 
deal  sharper  than  any  I  ever  saw  at  home." 

"  Let  me  see,  —  how  long  were  we  coming  from  the 
cave  the  day  you  and  I  went  ?  " 

"  About  three  hours." 

"  Then  we  may  look  for  the  fellows  about  three 
hours  after  the  rain  stops." 

"  I  suppose  so." 

"  But  suppose  it  don't  stop?  " 

"  Then  it  will  be  doubtful  what  time  they  will 
return.  But  I  don't  believe  it  will  rain  all  the  after- 
noon." 

"  Nor  I." 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Jack,  this  is  kind  of  rough  on 
Nap  and  Lightfoot." 

"  Right  you  are,  Frank.  But  we  can't  help  it  any, 
and  I  suppose  they  are  used  to  getting  wet." 

"  The  eagles  are  all  right.  Their  box  will  keep  the 
most  of  it  off  of  them." 

"That's  so." 

"  Lucky  we  finished  that  cooking-shanty  before  this 
storm.  It  would  have  been  a  nice  job  getting  supper 
out-doors  to-night  if  this  rain  holds  on." 


268  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"We  should  have  looked  like  a  couple  of  drowned 
rats  before  we  had  finished." 

"  Let's  play  dominos,  Jack.  I  don't  feel  like  read- 
ing, and  that  will  help  us  pass  away  the  time." 

"  All  right,  Frank,  I'll  play  awhile,  although,  to  tell 
you  the  truth,  I  don't  care  two  cents  for  the  game." 

"  Don't  you?     I  like  it  pretty  well." 

Maynard  took  a  box  of  dominos  from  his  valise,  and, 
sitting  up  to  the  table,  they  began  to  play.  An  hour 
passed  by  in  this  manner,  the  games  being  quite  evenly 
divided,  and  then  Adams  concluded  he  had  played  as 
long  as  he  wished  ;  and  the  boys  left  the  table,  and 
peeked  out  of  the  tent  to  see  how  things  looked. 

The  thunder  and  lightning  had  stopped ;  but  the 
rain  still  continued  to  fall,  and  the  wind  blew  hard, 
but  not  quite  as  strong  as  when  the  storm  began. 

Pools  of  water  had  gathered  on  the  ground  near  the 
tent,  and  the  sullen  roar  of  rushing  water  told  the  boys 
that  the  river  was  fast  rising. 

"  It's  going  to  be  a  nasty  night  if  this  storm  holds 
on,  and  don't  you  forget  it,"  said  Maynard,  with  em- 
phasis, as  the  boys  gazed  at  the  dismal  prospect  out- 
side. 

"  Yes,  and  it's  after  four  o'clock,  now.  I'll  bet  the 
fellows  are  on  their  way  home.  They  wouldn't  stay 
there  all  night,  for  they  will  not  have  anything  to  eat." 

"  I  don't  believe  they  would  stay  if  they  had.  Claude 
knows  we  should  be  expecting  them,  and  would  feel 
worried  if  they  did  not  put  in  an  appearance." 

"  That  is  so.  No  doubt  they  will  come  ;  but  I  shall 
not  look  for  them  before  seven  o'clock.  Had  we 
better  wait  until  they  come  before  we  eat  our  supper  ? " 


A  Fire  under  Difficulty.  269 

"  I  say  not.  Let  us  eat  ours  about  six  o'clock,  and 
then  we  will  do  what  we  can,  when  they  come,  to  make 
them  comfortable.  I  tell  you  it  will  be  a  mean  tramp 
for  them." 

"  You  are  right,  my  boy  !  "  and  Adams  threw  him- 
self down  on  the  blankets  once  more,  where  he  was 
joined  by  Maynard,  and  they  laid  and  talked  for  some 
time  about  their  absent  friends. 

"  I'm  getting  tired  of  this.  It  is  slow  work,  doing 
nothing,"  remarked  Maynard,  after  a  while.  "  I  guess 
I  will  try  and  build  a  camp-fire,  and  then,  if  the  rain 
holds  up,  by  the  time  the  boys  get  back  they  can  dry 
their  clothing !  "  and,  rising  with  a  yawn,  he  put  on  his 
rubber-coat,  and  went  into  the  stoi'e-tent  for  some  bark 
and  kindlings. 

Left  alone,  Adams  picked  up  a  book  ;  but  he  found  it 
too  dark  to  read  in  the  tent  without  straining  his  eyes, 
and,  after  a  few  moments'  trial,  he  cast  the  volume  im- 
patiently aside,  and,  with  a  smothered  growl  at  the  per- 
sistency of  the  fain,  made  a  dive  for  the  "  kitchen,"  as 
he  and  Maynard  had  named  the  shanty,  and  started  a 
fire  in  the  stove,  and  busied  himself  with  preparations 
for  supper. 

If  you  ever  tried  to  build  an  open  fire  in  the  woods 
during  a  pouring  rain,  you  have  some  idea  of  the  diffi- 
culty under  which  Maynard  labored.  If  you  have  not 
tried  to  perform  this  task,  you  don't  know  anything 
about  it.  Several  times  he  had  the  fire  fairly  started, 
as  he  thought,  and  as  often  it  would  disappear,  sending 
up  a  few  fitful  sparks,  and  a  few  tiny  columns  of  smoke. 
But  Frank  had  a  good  grip  on  the  two  twin  brothers, 
Perseverance  and  Patience,  and  finally  his  efforts  were 


270  Wild  Woods  Life. 

crowned  with  success.  To  be  sure,  the  fire  snapped 
and  sputtered  some,  but  it  triumphed  over  its  opposite, 
water,  and  each  stick  added  to  the  pile  increased  its 
hold  on  life,  until  it  grew  to  be  a  huge  column  of  flame, 
that  shot  into  the  air  with  crackle  and  roar,  sending  out 
its  cheerful  light  and  genial  heat  to  the  most  remote 
corners  of  the  camp. 

"You  are  a  genius,  Frank,  —  a  regular  fire-king,  —  to 
get  such  a  jolly  blaze  as  that  in  this  heavy  rain.  I 
didn't  think  you  would  get  it  burning." 

"Nothing  like  trying,  Jack.  'I'll  try,'  never  was 
beat  but  once,  and  that  was  when  old  Cowley  tried  to 
shin  a  greased  pole  feet  first." 

"  He  had  to  cave  then,  did  he?" 

"  You  are  right,  he  did.  He  was  only  fairly  started, 
when  he  came  down  with  a  run,  struck  on  his  head, 
and  turned  himself  inside  out.  He  was  the  most  demor- 
alized specimen  of  a  man  you  ever  saw." 

"I  should  think  he  must  have  been,"  and  Jack 
laughed  at  the  monstrous  statement. 

"  Better  make  coffee  and  tea  both,  hadn't  we?"  que- 
ried Maynard,  who  now  joined  Adams  in  the  kitchen 
to  assist  about  the  supper. 

"Yes,  I  would,  and  make  them  both  strong." 

"  Trust  me'  for  that.  I'll  give  them  a  regular  cap- 
hoister." 

The  kitchen  stood  within  ten  feet  of  the  living-tent, 
and  the  boys  dodged  from  one  to  the  other  without 
getting  very  wet. 

"  I  tell  you,  Maynard,  this  kitchen  is  a  big  thing.  It 
would  have  been  almost  impossible  to  have  cooked  a 
hot  supper  to-night  without  it." 


Visitors.  271 

"  Right,  my  boy.  You  stumble  on  the  truth  by  acci- 
dent once  in  a  while." 

The  supper  progressed  as  favorably  as  could  be 
expected  under  the  circumstances,  and  they  had  every- 
thing on  the  table,  and  were  about  to  sit  down  at  six 
o'clock,  when  suddenly  two  strangers  appeared  to 
them. 

They  were  tall,  rugged-looking  men,  dark-com- 
plected, and  both  wore  full  beards.  They  each  had  a 
heavy  knapsack  strapped  to  their  shoulders,  and  both 
carried  an  axe. 

"Well,  young  men,  you  are  pretty  comfortably  fixed 
here,  I  should  say,"  spoke  up  the  eldest,  as  he  glanced 
around  the  camp. 

The  boys  were  so  much  startled  by  their  appearance 
that  they  stared  at  the  strangers  for  some  moments  with- 
out answering.  The  noise  of  the  storm  had  kept  the 
boys  from  hearing  the  coming  of  the  men  until  the 
strangers  were  within  a  few  feet  of  them,  and  their  first 
feeling  was  one  of  alarm.  But,  as  they  gazed  into  the 
faces  of  the  men,  they  became  reassured,  and  finally 
Maynard  found  voice  to  reply,  — 

"  Yes,  sir,  very  well  for  a  rainy  day." 

The  youngest,  who  had  been  exploring  the  place 
with  his  eyes,  now  caught  sight  of  the  bear  and  deer, 
and  laughingly  observed, — 

"  I  snum,  Dan'l !  we've  stumbled  onter  a  menagerie. 
I  guess  I'll  get  a  pole,  and  stir  up  the  animiles." 

"Don't  meddle  with  the  bear,"  added  Maynard, 
quickly;  "he  is  not  partial  to  strangers." 

"No,  I  'spose  not.  I  aint  going  ter  touch  him.  I 
was  only  jokin'." 


272  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  Can  you  accommodate  us  with  lodgings  for  to- 
night?" asked  the  eldest  of  the  strangers,  as  the  two 
men  slung  their  packs  to  the  ground. 

"  Who  are  you?"  inquired  Maynard. 

"Surveyors,"  again  replied  the  eldest.  "My  name 
is  Daniel  Parker,  and  this  is  Russ  Goodman.  We  are 
up  here  looking  out  timber  chances." 

"All  right,  sir.  We  were  just  about  to  sit  down  to 
supper.  Will  you  take  some  withnis?" 

"I  guess  not,"  returned  Mr.  Parker,  who  acted  as 
spokesman,  and  who  seemed  to  be  the  one  in  authority. 
"We  have  pork  and  hard-tack  and  tea,  and,  if  you 
will  let  us  use  your  stove,  we  shall  get  along  nicely." 

"  Pork,  hard-tack,  and  tea  !  "  repeated  Maynard,  his 
nose  unconsciously  turning  up  a  little  as  he  mentioned 
the  bill  of  fare;  "and  is  that  all  you  live  on  while 
tramping  in  the  woods?" 

"  Yes,  with  the  exception  of  a  little  game  and  fish 
that  we  procure  occasionally  ;  what  more  do  you  want?  " 
and  Mr.  Parker  gazed  with  surprise  at  the  youth. 

"You  don't  come  any  of  the  pork  and  hard-tack 
business  in  this  camp.  But  we  are  standing  here  in  the 
rain.  Come  in  out  of  the  wet,  as  the  whale  said  to 
Jonah  when  he  swallowed  him,"  and  Adams  passed 
into  the  tent,  followed  by  the  others. 

"Pull  offyour  rubber-coats,  and  sit  up  to  the  table," 
invited  Adams,  as  he  laid  a  couple  of  plates,  knives, 
and  forks,  and  added  two  more  cups  and  saucers,  "  and 
we'll  see  if  we  can't  give  you  something  as  good  as  pork 
and  hard-tack." 

Mr.  Parker  said  they  had  not  expected  to  cat  with 
them,  and  only  wanted  a  chance  to  sleep ;  but  the  boys 


Entertaining  Guests.  273 

would  take  no  denial,  and  the  two  woodsmen  drew  up 
to  the  table. 

"  Now,  help  yourselves,  gentlemen,"  remarked  May- 
nard  hospitably  ;  "  here  are  baked  beans,  roast  venison, 
fried  trout,  baked  potatoes,  corn,  peas,  hot  biscuit, 
raspberries,  and  cake.  We  can  give  you  tea  or  coffee, 
whichever  you  prefer." 

Mr.  Parker  took  tea  without  milk  or  sugar,  and  his 
companion,  coffee  in  the  same  manner,  and  they  helped 
themselves  to  the  edibles,  gazing  about  the  tent  as  they 
did  so. 

"  Are  you  boys  keeping  a  hotel  up  here  in  the 
woods?"  queried  Russ,  as  he  glanced  over  the  nice 
supper  spread  before  them. 

"  No,  only  camping  out,"  returned  both  the  boys  with 
a  smile. 

"  Yer  live  pretty  well,  and  yer  know  how  to  cook. 
Whar  do  ye  belong?" 

"In  Boston,"  answered  Adams. 

"  I  take  it  there  are  more  in  your  party,"  observed 
Mr.  Parker,  his  examination  of  the  tent  having  con- 
vinced him  of  this  fact. 

"  Yes,"  responded  Maynard,  "there  are  seven  of  us. 
Five  of  our  companions  went   off  to  visit  a  cave  on 
Camel's  Rump  this  morning,  and  they  have  not  yet  re 
turned." 

"  A  cave  !  "  exclaimed  Russ  with  interest ;  "  I  didn't 
know  thar  was  any  cave  on  the  Rump,  did  you,  Dan'l  ? " 

"No,  I  never  heard  of  any.  On  what  part  of  the 
mountain  is  it,  young  man?" 

Maynard  told  him,  and  gave  them  an  account  of  his 
visit  to  it  with  his  friends. 


274  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  Wall,  that  beats  me,"  observed  Russ.  "  I  thought 
I  knew  this  country  about  as  well  as  any  man  of  my 
years,  and  I've  been  all  over  Camel's  Rump  many  a 
time,  but  durn  me,  if  I  ever  saw  anything  of  a  cave." 

"  You  would  not  be  likely  to  notice  it  unless  you 
were  hunting  for  it,  or  tumbled  on  to  it  accidentally,  as 
we  did,  for  the  entrance  was  partly  concealed  by 
bushes. 

"  And  yer  friends  went  up  there  to-day,  yer  say?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Isn't  it  about  time  fur  them  ter  be  back  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  it  was." 

"  They'll  find  it  pretty  rough  travelling  in  the  woods 
after  dark." 

"They  have  both  of  our  lanterns  with  them,  and  we 
shall  have  to  see  by  firelight  until  they  return." 

"  I  don't  believe  they'll  come  back  to-night." 

"Yes,  they  will,"  put  in  Adams,  "for  they  only 
took  a  lunch  with  them." 

"  Pooh !  They  can  stand  it  till  to-morrow  mornin', 
easy  enough.  Why,  Mr.  Parker  and  I  have  been  with- 
out grub  several  times  for  forty-eight  hours  on  a 
stretch." 

"We  are  not  used  to  living  that  way,"  responded 
Maynard.  "  You  won't  find  any  fellow  in  this  crowd 
going  without  eating  for  forty-eight  hours,  if  he  can  get 
where  there  is  any  grub.  It  will  take  something  more 
than  rain  to  keep  him  away  from  it,"  and  Maynard 
laughed  at  the  idea. 

"What  are  your  names,  young  gentlemen?"  inquired 
Mr.  Parker,  when  Maynard  had  recovered  from  his 
laughing  fit. 


After  Supper.  275 

"Mine  is  Frank  Maynard,  and  my  friend's  is  John 
Adams." 

"John  Adams?  You  have  good  blood  in  you,  my 
boy,  if  you  descended  from  the  presidential  family." 

"  I  don't  claim  any  relationship  with  them,"  declared 
Jack  with  a  smile.  "  The  fact  of  it  is,  I  have  never  had 
time  to  study  our  genealogical  tree,  and  whether  I  came 
from  that  branch  of  the  family  or  not  I  can't  say.  How- 
ever, I  don't  mean  to  disgrace  the  name." 

"A  good  intention,  and  I  hope  you  will  keep  it," 
asserted  Mr.  Parker,  kindly. 

"  Wall,  boys,  if  yer'll  excuse  me,  I'll  have  a  smoke  !" 
and  Russ  rose  from  the  table,  and  producing  a  short- 
stemmed  clay  pipe,  filled  it  with  plug  tobacco,  and, 
lighting  it,  went  out  to  look  at  the  weather. 

Mr.  Parker  also  arose,  and  the  boys  cleared  the  table, 
and  carried  the  things  to  the  stove  to  keep  warm  for 
their  friends,  and  then  washed  up  the  dirty  dishes. 

Maynard  then  replenished  the  camp-fire  which  was 
burning  low,  and,  as  they  could  not  sit  out-doors  with- 
out getting  wet,  they  gathered  in  the  kitchen,  which 
was  brilliantly  lit  by  the  camp-fire,  and  found  it  very 
comfortable  around  the  cooking-stove. 

The  boys  asked  their  guests  more  particularly  in  re- 
gard to  the  business  of  lumber  surveying,  and  Mr. 
Parker  gave  them  a  great  deal  of  useful  information  on 
the  subject,  beside  telling  them  many  exciting  ex- 
periences of  his  tramps  through  the  woods,  in  which  he 
was  ably  seconded  by  his  companion. 

In  return,  the  boys  told  the  men  about  their  trip  since 
leaving  home,  and  also  about  their  former  visit  to 
the  Maine  woods,  and  gave  them  sketches  of  each  of 


276  Wild  Woods  Life. 

their  companions.  The  time  passed  very  pleasantly, 
and  when  Adams  observed  that  it  was  ten  o'clock,  and 
that  the  fellows  would  hardly  come  then,  Maynard 
could  scarcely  believe  it.  But  a  glance  at  his  watch, 
assured  him  that  his  friend  was  right,  and  he  now  be- 
gan to  feel  very  much  worried  about  the  party  who  had 
gone  to  visit  the  cave. 

"  I  can't  account  for  it,"  said  he;  "I  don't  believe 
they  would  stay  in  that  cave  all  night  without  anything 
to  cat,  and  only  a  stone  floor  to  lay  on,  just  from  fear 
of  getting  wet.  They  are  not  that  kind  of  fellows." 

"  I  am  afraid  they  they  are  in  trouble,"  assented 
Jack.  "  I  think  they  would  have  put  in  an  appearance 
before  this  unless  something  more  than  the  rain  had 
prevented  them  "  ;  and  a  sigh  welled  up  from  the  deepest 
recesses  of  his  heart  as  he  thought  of  the  many  good 
times  he  had  seen  with  his  friends,  —  "  the  best  set  of 
fellows,"  as  he  told  Mr.  Parker,  "  that  ever  lived." 

"  Oh,  you'll  see 'em  in  the  morning  !  "  asserted  Russ, 
who  saw  that  the  boys  felt  badly,  and  wished  to  cheer 
them  up.  "  You  may  depend  upon  it,  that  they  were 
afraid  of  getting  their  jackets  wet,  and  concluded  to 
stay  in  the  cave  all  night.  You'll  see  'em  before  break 
fast  in  the  mornin',  I'll  bet." 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  returned  Maynard  gloomily,  as 
he  sprang  to  his  feet.  "  Something  has  happened  to 
them,  I  know  ;  and  if  they  are  not  here  by  the  time  we 
are  done  breakfast  in  the  morning,  we  must  go  up 
there.  Will  you  and  Russ  go  with  us,  Mr.  Parker?  " 

"  Certainly,  if  you  desire.  But  I  hope  and  trust  that 
no  misfortune  or  accident  has  befallen  your  friends.  I 
am  of  Mr.  Goodman's  opinion  that  they  disliked  the 


Maynard's  Determination.  277 

long  tramp  through  the  woods  in  the  rain,  and  con- 
cluded to  stay  all  night,  in  spite  of  the  fact  of  their 
having  no  food.  It  is  daylight  bv  four  o'clock,  and  I 
should  look  for  them  here  to  camp  by  seven,  sure." 

"  If  they  are  not  here  by  that  hour,"  asserted  May- 
nard,  "  I  shall  look  them  up  without  farther  waiting, 
for,  while  I  am  willing  to  acknowledge  that  the  rain 
might  have  detained  them  a  few  hours,  I  am  positive 
they  would  not  have  let  it  keep  them  away  over  night. 
They  all  have  an  abundance  of  dry  clothing  in  camp, 
and  could  have  peeled  oft' their  wet  garments  as  soon  as 
they  reached  here.  But,  as  we  can  do  nothing  for 
them  to-night,  I  suppose  we  may  as  well  turn  in,  for 
I  suppose  you  are  both  tired  and  sleepy,"  and  May- 
nard  led  the  way  to  the  tent,  followed  by  Adams,  and 
their  guests,  and  without  farther  talk  sought  their 
blankets. 

The  two  woodsmen  dropped  off  to  sleep  without  any 
trouble  ;  but  the  thoughts  of  the  two  boys  kept  them 
awake  for  a  long  time,  and  it  was  after  midnight  before 
they  found  the  sleep  they  coveted. 


278  Wild  Woods  Life. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Troubled  Sleepers.  —  The  Nightmare. — The  Rescuing  Party. — 
Removing  the  Boulder.  — The  Prison  Doors  Opened.  — Back  to 
Camp.  —  A  Jolly  Supper. — A  Quiet  Night.  —  Departure  of  the 
Woodsmen. 

"  WHAT  was  that?  "  and  Le  Roy  raised  himself  on 
his  elbow,  and  peered  around  trying  in  vain  to  pierce 
the  darkness. 

"  What's  the  row?"  and  Claude,  who  slept  next  to 
him,  awakened  by  the  outcry,  turned  drowsily  over  to 
find  a  softer  place  in  his  hard  bed,  if  that  were  possible. 

"  I  thought  I  heard  something." 

"  So  you  did.  It  is  Phil  snoring,"  and,  with  a 
chuckle,  Claude  pulled  Le  Roy  down  again.  "  Now,  go 
to  sleep,  before  you  wake  the  rest  of  the  fellows  up." 

"  How  in  creation  is  a  fellow  going  to  sleep  in  such 
a  hole  as  this?  My  bones  are  about  pulverized  now." 

"  I'll  swap  mattresses  with  you,  if  you  think  mine  is 
any  softer,"  returned  Claude,  laughing  softly. 

"  What  are  you  grinning  about,  confound  you?  I 
suppose  I  can  stand  it  till  morning." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it.  It  takes  a  good  deal  to  kill  such 
a  fellow  as  you  are,  Le  Roy." 

"  It's  my  opinion,  if  we  live  through  this  we  shall  be 
able  to  survive  anything,"  and  Le  Roy  once  more 
closed  his  eyes  and  tried  to  go  to  sleep. 

Quiet  reigned  again  for  several  hours,  but  was  sud- 


Phil  has  the  Nightmare.  279 

denly  broken  by  Phil  jumping  to  his  feet,  and  crying 
"  Help  !  murder  !  the  skeleton  !  where  am  I?  " 

"  Down  in  a  coal-mine,  underneath  the  ground," 
droned  Wingate,  awaking  just  in  time  to  catch  Phil's 
last  words,  and  trolling  this  sentence  out  in  such  a 
comical  voice  that  all  the  boys,  with  the  exception  of 
Phil,  burst  into  a  shout  of  laughter  that  echoed  through 
the  cave  with  a  noise  that  was  startling. 

"  It's  no  laughing  matter,"  cried  Phil  indignantly, 
who,  having  now  become  wide  awake,  sat  down  again 
among  his  companions. 

"  That's  what  the  nigger  said  when  the  mule  kicked 
him,"  remarked  St.  Clair,  dryly. 

"  What's  the  trouble,  Phil?  Have  you  been  dream- 
ing," inquired  Claude. 

"  Dreaming  !  I  should  say  I  had.  I'm  all  perspiration 
from  my  head  to  my  feet." 

"Don't  work  so  hard  in  your  sleep,"  suggested 
Le  Roy. 

"What  was  after  you,  Phil,  a  ghost?"  inquired 
Wingate. 

"  I  thought  I  was  in  a  dungeon,  something  like  this 
cave,  only  smaller,  and  a  grinning  skeleton  "  — 

"  Grinning  skeleton  is  good  !  "  broke  in  St  Clair. 

"  Oh,  let  him  finish  his  yarn,  Andrew  ! "  urged  Claude. 

"  With  his  long,  fleshless  arms  advanced  to  me, 
and,  pointing  downward,  said,  '  Come  with  me  ! ' 

"  I  backed  away  from  the  hideous  apparition ;  but 
suddenly  it  grasped  me  by  the  throat,  and,  with  an  in- 
fernal yell,  exclaimed,  '  Now  I  have  you  ! '  With  a 
shudder  of  affright,  I  cried  for  help,  and  broke  away 
from  it,  and  that  awoke  me." 


280  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"You  must  have  drank  something  stronger  than 
water  yesterday,"  bantered  Le  Roy. 

"  Your  brain  is  too  active,  young  man,"  laughed  St. 
Clair ;  "  carry  a  brick  in  your  hat  in  future." 

"  His  mind  is  too  imaginative,"  observed  Wingate. 

"  Too  what  ative?"  queried  Le  Roy. 

"  I'd  like  to  know  what  time  it  is,"  remarked 
Claude.  "  Where  are  the  lanterns?" 

"  Strike  a  match,"  suggested  Wingate ;  "  it  will 
answer  just  as  well." 

Claude  followed  his  friend's  advice,  and,  consulting 
his  timepiece,  found  it  was  ten  minutes  past  four. 

Then  it  must  be  daylight,  outside,"  observed  St. 
Clair.  "  If  I  was  only  out  of  this  cave,  wouldn't  I 
bounce  for  camp  ?  Perhaps  not !  "  and  he  sighed  as  he 
felt  the  clamorous  wants  of  his  stomach,  and  thought 
of  the  bountiful  supply  of  provisions  in  the  store-tent. 

"  Let's  shake  up  our  pillows  and  turn  over  our 
mattresses,"  said  Wingate  facetiously,  and  take  another 
nap.  We  don't  want  to  turn  out  yot.  It  will  be  dull 
waiting  when  we  do  get  up,  for  the  boys  can't  get 
here  before  ten  o'clock." 

"That  is  so,"  agreed  Claude.  "They  will  be 
looking  for  us  this  morning,  and  will  get  their  break- 
fast before  they  start,  and  they  will  not  be  likely  to 
leave  before  seven  o'clock.  As  Charlie  says,  we  may 
as  well  get  a  little  more  sleep,  if  we  can." 

After  this  the  boys  quieted  down  again,  and  in  a 
little  while  dropped  asleep,  and  when  they  awoke  the 
next  time  it  was  nine  o'clock.  Lighting  one  of  the 
lanterns,  and  taking  the  other,  as  well  as  the  axe  and 
the  lunch-pail,  they  made  their  way  as  near  as  they 


The  Relief  Party.  283 

could  to  the  entrance,  to  await  with  what  patience 
they  could  the  expected  arrival  of  their  friends. 

They  had  hoped  to  get  another  drink  where  they 
found  water  the  day  before,  but  it  had  all  disappeared, 
much  to  their  regret. 

Claude  who  was  in  advance  told  them  that  the  rain 
was  over,  and  that  he  believed  the  sun  was  shining. 

Mr.  Parker  and  Russ,  who  were  early  risers,  awoke 
at  five  o'clock,  and  called  the  boys,  as  Maynard  had 
told  them  the  night  before  he  wished  to  get  up  early. 

The  boys  were  soon  dressed,  and,  taking  hold  with 
a  will,  had  breakfast  on  the  table  at  six  o'clock.  As 
soon  as  they  had  eaten,  Adams  packed  some  meat, 
biscuit,  and  doughnuts  in  a  pail,  and  at  seven  o'clock, 
as  their  companions  had  not  appeared,  started  for  the 
mountain  accompanied  by  the  two  woodsmen,  carrying 
their  axes,  Russ  remarking  "  that  they  might  come 
kinder  handy." 

On  their  way,  they  found  the  partridges  hung  up  in 
the  tree,  as  the  boys  had  left  them  the  day  before  ;  and 
this  convinced  them  to  a  certainty  that  their  friends 
had  made  no  effort  to  return. 

"  You  are  sure  there  were  no  wild  animals  in  that 
cave?"  asked  Mr.  Parker  as  they  hurried  along. 

"  There  were  none  when  we  were  there  before, 
I'll  stake  my  life,"  answered  Maynard. 

"  It  ud  be  a  bad  job  for  the  youngsters,  ef  they  had 
happened  ter  tumble  outer  a  bear  or  wild-cat  in  there." 

"  They  were  armed.  I'd  risk  them  on  that  tack," 
declared  Adams.  "  Why,  we  shot  a  panther  when  we 
were  at  Dixville  Notch." 

"  Yes,   but  you   were   out-doors,  and   had  a   good 


284  Wild  Woods  Life. 

chance  at  the  critter.  In  that  cave  a  cat  would  have 
the  advantage  of  'em,  because  it  could  see  in  the  dark, 
and  they  couldn't." 

"  But  they  have  two  lanterns,"  observed  Maynard. 

"  Yes,  I  know.  But  they  would  probably  get  broke 
in  the  scrimmage,  and  then  they  wouldn't  dare  ter  fire 
in  the  dark,  for  fear  o'  hurtin'  each  other." 

"  I  guess  we  shall  find  them  safe,"  said  Mr.  Parker. 

Without  running,  the  party  covered  the  ground  at 
a  rapid  pace,  and  at  ten  o'clock  reached  the  entrance 
to  the  cave.  But  the  boulder  at  the  mouth  bothered 
Maynard  and  Adams,  and  they  could  scarcely  tell 
where  they  were,  until  a  voice  that  sounded  hollow  in 
their  ears,  coming  from  underground,  hailed  them. 

"I  say,  out  there  !     Who  are  you ?  " 

It  was  Claude's  voice,  and  the  two  boys  jumped  as  if 
they  were  holding  the  handles  of  an  electric  battery. 

The  voice  told  theffl  the  exact  position  of  the  mouth 
of  the  passage,  and  the  presence  of  the  boulder  readily 
accounted  for  their  friends'  long  absence  from  camp. 

"  Some  scoundrels  have  rolled  that  big  stone  down 
into  the  mouth  of  the  passage-way  !  "  declared  Adams, 
excitedly,  and  he  glanced  around  as  if  it  would  be  a 
pleasure  to  him  to  strike  somebody. 

"  Nonsense  !"  ejaculated  Maynard,  and  then,  getting 
down  on  his  knees,  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  boulder, 
he  shouted,  "Claude!" 

"  How  are  you,  Frank  ?  " 

"  Are  you  all  in  there?" 

"  I  should  say  we  were." 

"Alive  and  well?" 

"Yes." 


Feeding  the  Prisoners.  285 

"Thank  God  for  that !" 

"  Amen  !  "  returned  Claude,  fervently. 

"  Are  you  hungry?"  queried  Adams. 

"  I  rather  guess.    Did  you  bring  any  grub,  Jack?" 

"Yes,  plenty  of  it." 

"You  are  a  brick!     Pass  it  along." 

"  How  can  we  get  it  to  you,"  inquired  Maynard. 

"  Here,  through  this  hole,"  and  Claude  stuck  out  his 
hand  as  far  as  he  could.  "  Pass  it  to  me,  and  I'll  pass 
it  back  to  the  other  boys.  We  are  in  single  file  here, 
you  know." 

The  meat,  biscuit,  and  doughnuts,  were  now  passed 
to  Claude  in  small  quantities,  and  he  distributed  them 
among  his  companions,  reserving  an  equitable  share  for 
himself. 

"  How  large  is  that  rock,  Frank?  " 

' '  It's  a  bouncer,  Claude." 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  get  it  away?" 

"  Yes,  sir.  It  would  have  given  us  a  hard  one  if 
Jack  and  I  had  come  alone ;  but  we  have  two  gentle- 
men here  with  us,  who  stopped  at  the  camp  last  night, 
and  we  will  have  you  out  of  that  trap  shortly.  They 
are  coming  with  two  big  levers  now,  that  they  have 
been  cutting  while  we  were  passing  you  the  grub. 
How  do  you  think  the  rock  came  here?  Of  course  it 
was  not  here  when  you  went  in." 

"  I  guess,  not,"  replied  Claude  dryly.  The  thunder 
or  lightning  started  it  from  somewhere  above,  and  it 
rolled  into  the  hole.  Wingate  was  within  two  or  three 
feet  of  it  when  it  dropped  in  there,  and  we  cannot  be 
too  thankful  that  he  escaped  unhurt." 

"That's  so,  by  Jove!" 


286  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Mr.  Parker  and  Russ  now  arrived  with  two  stout 
maple  sticks,  and,  placing  these  behind  the  back  corners 
of  the  boulder,  with  the  assistance  of  Jack  and  Frank 
they  tried  to  pry  it  out.  But  the  stone  was  too  heavy, 
and,  although  they  tugged  and  lifted  until,  as  Russ  ex- 
pressed himself,  "he  could  hear  his  backbone  snap," 
they  couldn't  start  the  I'ock  a  hair. 

"  It  is  too  much  for  us,  Russ,"  said  Mr.  Parker  ;  "we 
shall  have  to  attack  it  from  below.  We  must  take 
away  some  of  the  small  stones  in  front  of  it,  if  there 
are  any,  and  make  a  channel  for  it  to  roll  in.  Then,  by 
picking  a  few  out  from  under  the  front  part  of  it,  it 
will  start  of  its  own  accord." 

"Yes,  and  it  will  make  things  snap  when  it  strikes 
inter  those  small  spruces  below  us,  I  tell  yer." 

The  two  men  now  cut  away  the  bushes  from  in  front 
of  the  boulder,  so  that  they  might  have  a  good  chance 
to  work,  and  then,  with  the  aid  of  the  boys,  began  to 
remove  a  number  of  small  stones,  which  they  found 
very  plentiful,  thus  proving  the  assertion  of  Maynard 
that  the  debris  from  the  cave  had  been  dumped  near 
the  mouth  of  it. 

In  half  an  hour's  time  they  had  removed  all  the 
stones  necessary  in  front,  and  then  began  to  piy  out  a 
few  small  ones  that  the  boulder  rested  on,  and  which 
acted  as  a  trig  to  it. 

This  they  found  to  be  by  far  the  most  difficult  feature 
of  the  job,  but  they  kept  steadily  at  work  until  they  had 
dug  out  all  the  stones  that  seemed  in  any  way  to  hold 
the  boulder  but  one,  and  that  held  its  position  with  the 
tenacity  of  a  balky  horse. 

"  I  snum,  Dan'l,  I  don't  believe  we  can  git  that  one 


A   Tough  yob.  287 

out !  "  exclaimed  Russ,  as  he  stopped  a  moment  to  rest, 
and  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  forehead.  "  Yer 
see  it  is  three-cornered,  and  one  picked  end  is  just 
drove  solid  inter  the  ground.  We  shall  have  ter  block 
up  under  it  behind,  and  make  some  wedges,  and  rise 
her  up  that  way.  You  and  I  can  drive  the  wedges, 
and  the  boys  can  trig  under  the  boulder  as  fast  as  we 
lift  it.  And  if  we  can  get  her  up  far  enough  ter  get 
one  o'  these  big  pries  under  the  middle  o'  ther  stone,  I 
believe  the  four  of  us  can  throw  it  over.  What  do  yer 
think?" 

"We  can  try  it,  and  see;  but  we  need  some  heavy 
hardwood  wedges." 

"There's  a  beach  down  yender,  that'll  be  just  the 
thing." 

The  two  woodsmen  felled  the  beach,  and  made  four 
good  heavy  wedges,  and  then  returned  to  the  rock. 

From  where  Claude  sat,  he  could  hear  all  that  was 
going  on  outside,  and  repeated  the  most  of  it  to  his 
companions.  When  he  told  them  about  the  new 
method  the  men  were  going  to  try,  the  boys  began  to 
feel  worried,  for  fear  it  would  not  succeed. 

"  I  tell  you,  Claude,  its  lucky  Jack  and  Frank  brought 
those  men  with  them.  They  never  would  have  been 
able  to  have  extricated  us  alone." 

"Right  you  are,  Wingate,  and  we  should  have  had 
the  pleasure  of  passing  another  night  in  this  hotel,  and, 
for  all  I  know,  two  more.  Flint's  woiild  have  been  the 
nearest,  or,  at  any  rate,  the  easiest  place  to  get  to,  that 
they  could  have  visited  for  help  ;  and  as  they  would 
have  worked  here  about  all  day,  trying  to  get  the  rock 
away  themselves,  it  would  have  been  late  the  next  day, 


288  Wild  Woods  Life. 

if  not  the  following  morning,  before  they  could  have 
returned." 

"  I  should  like  to  know  what  brought  those  men  to 
our  camp  ?  " 

"  A  divine  Providence  !  "  returned  Claude,  seriously, 
"  and  it  won't  hurt  any  of  us  to  look  at  it  in  that  light." 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  and  Wingate  offered  up  a  silent 
prayer  that  their  delivery  was  so  near. 

Mr.  Parker  and  Russ  now  placed  a  stone  on  each  side 
of  the  boulder,  close  to  it,  and,  placing  the  sharp  ends 
of  the  wedges  between,  began  driving  the  heavy  blocks. 

Adams  and  Maynard  stood  by,  one  on  each  side  the 
boulder,  and  threw  in  small  stones  as  fast  as  the  large 
rock  moved  upwards. 

The  wedges  were  six  inches  thick  at  the  butt,  and, 
when  they  had  been  driven  to  the  head,  had  raised  the 
rock  about  four  inches.  Larger  stones  were  now  pro- 
cured for  baits,  and,  taking  the  second  pair  of  wedges, 
the  first  having  been  about  used  up  by  the  pounding 
they  had  undergone,  the  two  men  drove  them  in  as  be- 
fore, raising  the  boulder  about  four  inches  more. 

"I  believe  we  can  tip  it  over  now,  Russ,"  observed 
Mr.  Parker,  as  he  examined  the  situation. 

"We  kin  try,  anyway.  If  we  only  had  a  couple  o' 
cant-dogs  here,  we  could  turn  it  right  out  o'  there  ;  but 
perhaps  the  pry'll  do,  and,  picking  up  one  of  the  levers, 
Russ  placed  it  in  position  under  the  boulder. 

"  Now,  then,  all  together,"  cried  Mr.  Parker,  as  they 
took  hold  of  the  lever. 

"  Jist  let  me  git  my  shoulder  under  that  stick,  I  kin 
lift  twist  as  much  that  way,"  and  Russ,  having  placed 
himself  to  advantage,  added  "  now  give  it  to  Jer." 


The  Rescue.  289 

They  lifted,  all  together,  and  the  huge  rock,  tottering 
a  moment  on  its  balanced  edge,  flopped  over,  and 
rolled  down  the  mountain  side,  sweeping  all  before  it 
for  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  when,  its  force  having 
become  much  diminished  from  the  many  obstructions  it 
had  met  on  its  flight,  it  was  finally  brought  to  bay  by  a 
tremendous  yellow-birch,  which  it  struck  with  a  shock 
that  tumbled  several  large  dead  limbs  from  the  upper 
part  of  the  tree  to  the  gi'ound. 

A  shout  of  triumph  went  up  from  Adams  and  May- 
nard,  and,  as  Claude  and  the  others  appeared,  one  by 
one,  their  hands  were  grasped  by  Jack  and  Frank,  and 
shook  with  a  heartiness  that  told  their  joy  at  their 
friends'  escape  from  their  prison. 

Then  Maynard  introduced  the  cave  party  to  Russ  and 
Mr.  Parker,  and  the  boys  shook  hands  heartily  with 
them,  and  thanked  them  warmly  for  their  very  opportune 
assistance. 

"And  now,"  said  Claude,  "  it  is  one  o'clock,  and 
the  sooner  we  get  back  to  camp  the  better ;  and  if  we 
don't  have  a  good  dinner  or  supper,  whichever  you  have 
a  mind  to  call  it,  to-night,  it  will  be  because  we  can't 
cook  it." 

"  I  should  like  to  take  a  look  at  your  cave  before  we 
return,"  remarked  Mr.  Parker. 

"  Certainly,  of  course  you  would.  I  didn't  think  of 
that.  Maynard,  light  the  lanterns,  and  you  and  Jack 
go  in  with  the  gentlemen.  We  are  about  choked,  we 
are  so  thirsty,  and,  if  you'll  excuse  us,  we  will  go  down 
the  mountain  until  we  strike  that  first  brook,  where  we 
can  get  a  drink,  and  wait  for  you  there." 

u  All  right,"  returned  Maynard,  and  he  and  Jack 
went  with  the  two  woodsmen  to  look  at  the  cave. 


290  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  I  snum  !  this  is  snug  quarters,"  observed  Russ,  as 
they  crawled  on  hands  and  knees  along  the  passage. 

"  The  path  is  larger  as  soon  as  we  turn  the  corner 
just  ahead,"  answered  Adams. 

When  they  entered  the  cave,  the  two  men  examined 
the  skeleton  first,  of  which  they  could  make  no  more 
than  the  boys,  although  they  had  theories  enough  upon 
the  matter.  Then  they  looked  at  the  veins  of  silver  and 
lead,  and  inspected  the  whole  of  the  walls  and  the  roof 
sharply,  but  were  forced  to  confess  that  there  was  not 
enough  of  value  in  the  mineral  deposits  to  pay  for 
working  the  mine. 

After  half  an  hour's  stay  they  returned  to  the  outer 
world,  and  then  hastened  to  join  the  rest  of  the  party, 
whom  they  found  at  the  brook. 

"  Did  you  see  anything  of  our  partridges,  May- 
nard  ? "  queried  Le  Roy,  as  the  parties  joined,  and 
started  for  camp. 

"  Yes  we  found  seven  partridges  hung  to  a  tree, 
and  that  settled  our  opinion  as  to  your  whereabouts." 

"  I  guess  they  were  pretty  well  soaked,"  added 
Claude,  laughing. 

"We  ought  to  give  that  cave  a  name,"  suggested 
Maynard,  as  they  hurried  along. 

<•  Call  it  '  Skeleton  Cave,'"  proposed  Phil.  "  How  is 
that?" 

u  A  good  name,  I  say,"  acquiesced  Wingate. 

"  '  Skeleton  Cave'  be  it,  then,"  declared  Maynard. 

"  I  guess  it  will  take  Frank  and  I  sometime  to-night  to 
get  supper  for  all  you  hungry  mortals,"  laughedAdams. 

"  We  will  all  help  you  to-night,  Jack,"  observed 
Claude. 


Back  to  Camp.  291 

"  Too  many  cooks  spoil  the  broth." 

"  They  will  not  in  this  case." 

It  was  half-past  four  when  the  party  reached  camp, 
and  a  fire  was  lighted  in  the  cook-stove,  and  all  the 
boys  took  hold  to  forward  the  supper.  Three  of  the 
partridges  wei'e  plucked  and  dressed  by  St.  Clair. 
Wingate  sliced  some  venison,  and  stuffed  the  two 
large  trout  for  baking.  Phil  washed  some  potatoes 
for  baking  and  boiling.  Le  Roy  picked  over  some 
berries  and  set  the  table.  Claude,  who  was  the  best 
pastry-cook  m  the  party,  made  a  couple  of  raspberry- 
pies  and  the  biscuit,  and  Maynard  and  Adams  found 
their  hands  full  in  attending  to  the  cooking.  Russ 
saying  "that  he  must  do  something  to  get  up  an 
appetite,"  was  chopping  wood  as  if  his  life  depended 
upon  it,  and  Mr.  Parker  was  engaged  with  his  field 
notes,  making  memorandums  of  his  lumber  surveys. 

For  an  hour  or  more  the  camp  had  the  appearance 
of  a  beehive,  the  boys  darting  here  and  there  about 
their  work,  while  a  buzz  of  joke  and  repartee  filled 
the  air,  and  everybody  was  as  happy  as  a  clam  at 
high-water. 

The  last  thing,  Adams  made  the  coffee  and  tea,  and 
fifteen  minutes  afterward  announced  that  "  supper 
was  ready,"  and,  with  a  cheer  from  the  boys,  they  and 
their  guests  gathered  around  the  festive  board. 

"  And  what  a  supper  that  was,  especially  for  the 
party  who  had  been  imprisoned  in  the  cave,  who  had 
been  for  thirty  hours  without  a  solid  meal ! 

The  two  baked  trout,  ornamented  with  small, 
square,  crisp,  thin  slices  of  pork,  flanked  on  one 
side  by  fried  venison,  on  the  other  by  fricaseed  par- 


292  Wild  Woods  Life. 

tridges,  and  supported  by  baked  and  boiled  potatoes. 
Then  they  had  canned  beans,  peas,  and  tomatoes  for 
vegetables.  Two  pyramids  of  biscuit,  baked  vvitli  a 
delicate  brown  tint,  and  as  light  as  a  cork,  occupied  each 
end  of  the  table,  while  the  berries  and  pies  were  to  the 
more  substantial  viands  what  the  fragrance  is  to  the 
rose. 

Claude  did  the  honors  of  the  occasion,  and,  after 
serving  their  guests,  helped  his  friends,  Adams  pour- 
ing the  tea  and  coffee. 

There  was  little  talking  at  first,  for  all  were  too 
hungry  ;  but,  after  the  sharper  pangs  of  hunger  had 
been  quieted,  the  boys  found  their  tongues,  and  the 
air  was  filled  with  their  jokes  and  laughter.  Their 
guests  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  feast,  and  told 
their  stories  and  cracked  their  jokes  with  as  much 
zest  as  the  younger  members  of  the  party.  Before 
the  meal  was  over  they  had  to  light  their  lanterns, 
and  it  was  eight  o'clock  before  they  arose  from  the 
table. 

The  dishes  were  cleared  away  and  washed  up, 
and  they  gathered  around  the  camp-fire  to  continue 
their  conversation,  Russ  bringing  forth  his  old  T.D., 
at  which  he  pulled  incessantly,  sending  the  smoke 
into  the  air  in  graceful  circles  that  were  lost  in  the 
darkness  overhead. 

Mr.  Parker  told  the  boys  how  he  once  killed  a 
bear,  while  out  on  a  surveying-trip,  armed  only  with 
a  hatchet ;  and  Russ  gave  them  several  laughable 
anecdotes  about  a  loon  that  he  captured  one  spring, 
and  tamed,  and  kept  for  several  years  after.  The  boys 
related  their  exploits  in  capturing  Nap  and  Lightfoot 


Camp  Stories.  293 

and  the  eagles,  and  the  woodsmen  were  much 
amused  at  Claude's  story  of  their  fight  with  the 
monarchs  of  the  air. 

At  ten  o'clock  everybody  retired  to  rest,  and  slept 
soundly.  Mr.  Parker  and  Russ  were  the  first  up  the 
next  morning,  and  the  boys,  hearing  them  stirring,  turned 
out  and  prepared  breakfast.  At  eight  o'clock  the 
woodsmen  left  the  camp,  with  the  hearty  thanks  and 
best  wishes  of  its  occupants.  Claude  offered  to  recom- 
pense them  for  the  time  they  had  lost ;  but  neither  of 
them  would  take  a  cent,  and  Mr.  Parker  laughingly 
remarked,  "  that  he  guessed  what  they  had  done  for  the 
boys  would  not  more  than  pay  for  their  board  and 
lodging." 


294  Wild  Woods  Life. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

Claude  and  Phil  Visit  Flint's.  —  The  Saucy  Loons.  —  Returning  to 
Camp.  —  A  Large  Flock  of  Ducks.  —  Successful  Shooting.  —  St. 
Clair,  Le  Roy,  and  Wingate  Start  for  Arnold's  Bog.  —  A  Quiet 
Sunday.  — Writing  to  Old  Chums.  — A  Circus  in  Camp.  —  Maynard 
Takes  a  Bath. — The  First  Snow.  —  Worrying  About  the  Absent 
Ones.  — Camp-fire  Flickerings.  — A  Wakeful  Night.  —  An  Unsuc- 
cessful Moose  Chase.  —  Return  of  the  Wanderers. 

As  fuel  had  run  quite  low  after  the  departure  of 
their  guests,  the  boys,  with  the  exception  of  Adams  and 
Maynard,  spent  the  rest  of  the  forenoon  in  cutting  and 
bringing  in  wood,  obtaining  enough,  according  to 
Claude's  opinion,  to  last  a  week. 

The  afternoon  was  passed  in  reading  and  writing, 
mending  clothing,  and  other  odd  jobs  that  suggested 
themselves. 

As  they  sat  around  the  camp-fire  in  the  evening, 
Adams  informed  his  friends  that  there  were  only  potatoes 
enough  for  breakfast,  and  that  the  flour  was  getting 
low. 

"  We  shall  have  to  go  for  some  more,  then,"  said 
Claude.  "  We  can't  get  along  without  spuds." 

"  It's  quite  a  trip  from  here  down  to  Flint's,"  sug- 
gested Maynard. 

' '  I  know  it  is ;  but  you  would  find  that  we  should 
miss  potatoes  and  flour  more  than  any  other  articles  of 
food.  It  is  not  necessary  for  all  of  us  to  go.  Two  will 
be  enough,  and  I  will  go  for  one.  We  can  go  down 


A   Trip  for  Provisions.  295 

one  day,  and  back  the  next,  easy  enough.  Who  will 
go  with  me  ?  " 

"I,"  said  Phil. 

"And  I,  and  I,"  shouted  St.  Clair  and  Wingate. 

"  Phil  spoke  first,  so  I'll  take  him,  and  we  must  get 
away  decently  early.  Have  breakfast,  say,  at  six 
o'clock,  and  start  at  seven." 

"  I  will  see  that  you  have  your  breakfast  on  time," 
observed  Adams. 

"We  shall  want  a  lunch  also,"  added  Phil.  "But 
we  can  get  our  supper  at  Flint's." 

"  I  will  see  to  that  in  the  morning,"  responded  May- 
nard. 

"I  hope  we  shall  not  all  sleep  until  seven  or  eight 
o'clock,"  said  Claude,  as  they  went  to  bed. 

"  I'll  be  up  in  season,"  declared  Adams  ;  "  I'll  keep 
it  on  my  mind." 

True  to  his  promise,  Adams  turned  out  early,  and 
had  breakfast  ready  at  six,  and  Maynard  had  their 
lunch  all  put  up,  and  at  seven,  amid  a  chorus  of  good 
wishes  from  their  friends,  Claude  and  Phil  started  down 
river. 

The  stream  still  felt  the  effect  of  the  recent  heavy 
rain,  and  the  boys  found  more  water  in  the  river,  and  a 
stronger  current  than  they  had  seen  any  time  before, 
while  the  navigation  was  a  great  deal  easier.  Claude 
had  his  gun,  and  Phil  his  rifle,  but  they  saw  nothing 
worth  shooting  during  the  forenoon,  and  at  half-past 
eleven  they  reached  Little  Boy's  Falls.  They  carried 
their  boat  around  the  falls,  and  then  sat  down  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  and  eat  their  lunch. 

As  they  were  about  to  start,  Phil  felt  an  uncomfort- 


296  Wild  Woods  Life. 

able  crawling  and  itching  on  his  legs,  and  investigation 
showed  that  his  feet  had  been  resting  on  an  ant-hill,  and 
about  a  hundred  of  the  little  insects,  more  or  less,  had 
found  their  way  under  his  clothing. 

Jumping  to  his  feet  he  danced  and  slapped,  but  all  to 
no  purpose,  and  finally  was  compelled  to  take  Claude's 
advice,  and  strip.  A  careful  examination  of  his  lower 
clothing  allowed  him  to  free  himself  from  his  unwel- 
come visitors,  and,  as  soon  as  he  had  dressed,  the  boys 
pushed  off  the  boat,  and  resumed  their  course. 

"  I  wouldn't  advise  you  to  sit  on  an  ant-hill  again," 
laughed  Claude. 

"  I  don't  mean  to.  How  the  little  wretches  did 
bite ! " 

At  two  o'clock  they  had  entered  the  lake,  and,  rowing 
between  the  islands,  made  their  way  along  the  eastern 
shore. 

Just  below  Moose  Brook  they  discovered  two  loons, 
who  mocked  them  with  their  peculiar  cries,  until  Phil, 
declaring  it  was  more  than  flesh  and  blood  could  stand, 
dropped  the  oars,  and  sent  a  bullet  whizzing  toward 
them. 

The  two  loons  were  about  three  feet  apart,  and  the 
bullet  struck  the  water  between  them. 

"  Why  don't  you  give  them  a  shot,  Claude?" 

"  Can't  reach  them  with  my  gun." 

"  Try  my  rifle,"  and  Phil  slipped  a  cartridge  in. 

Claude  took  careful  aim,  but  just  as  he  pulled  the 
trigger  the  loons  disappeared  beneath  the  water. 

"  There  is  not  much  satisfaction  in  shooting  at  those 
fellows,  they  are  under  water  more  than  half  the  time. 
Take  your  rifle,  and  I'll  take  the  oars,  now." 


The  Saucy  Loons.  297 

The  boys  exchanged  seats,  and  once  more  the  boat 
sped  onward.  As  they  neared  the  foot  of  the  lake  a 
blue  heron  came  from  the  direction  of  the  outlet,  and 
passed  them  lazily,  flapping  his  wings  about  a  long 
rifle-shot  distant. 

"  I'll  give  him  one  for  luck,"  said  Phil,  and,  dropping 
his  paddle,  he  blazed  away. 

The  only  effect  of  the  shot  was  to  cause  the  heron  to 
change  his  course  a  little,  and  give  utterance  to  a  cry, 
whether  of  fright  or  derision,  the  boys  could  not  tell. 

;'  Head  for  the  carry,  now,  Phil." 

"All  right." 

A  few  moments  later  the  boys  reached  the  shore,  and 
after  taking  care  of  their  boat,  took  the  bags,  and  their 
weapons,  and  started  over  the  carry. 

It  was  six  o'clock  when  they  reached  Spoff's  camp, 
and  found  supper  was  just  ready.  Telling  Flint  they 
had  come  for  some  flour  and  potatoes,  they  washed  up 
and  went  into  the  dining-room.  They  found  ten 
sportsmen  at  the  table,  and  they  were  soon  on  good 
terms  with  them,  and  took  part  in  the  conversation, 
which  was  entirely  upon  fishing  and  hunting. 

They  passed  a  very  pleasant  evening  with  the  guests, 
and  occupied  a  bed  together  upstairs.  The  gentlemen 
all  reported  the  fishing  good,  and,  according  to  Spoff's 
tell,  deer  were  so  thick  that  you  had  to  dodge  when  in 
the  woods  around  the  camp  to  keep  from  being  run 
over  by  them. 

After  breakfast  the  next  morning  Mr.  Flint  and  one 
of  his  men  backed  over  a  bag  of  potatoes,  each,  to  the 
lake,  and  the  boys  took  twenty-five  pounds  of  flour, 
each,  and  telling  Spoff  they  should  be  coming  down 


Wild  Woods  Life. 


that  way  in  a  week  or  so,  launched  their  boat,  loaded 
their  potatoes,  and  pulled  northward. 

Although  bright  and  pleasant  there  was  some  tingle 
in  the  air,  for  there  had  been  quite  a  frost  the  night 
before,  and  the  boys  pulled  and  paddled  energetically 
to  get  warmed  up. 

They  crossed  the  lake  without  incident,  but  as  they 
shot  around  one  of  the  islands  at  the  head  of  the  lake, 
and  neared  the  river,  they  discovered  a  large  flock  of 
black  duck,  which  were  in-shore,  feeding. 

Phil,  being  in  the  stern,  paddling,  discovered  them 
first. 

"  Great  guns  !  Claude  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "look  at  the 
ducks  ;  the  water  is  black  with  them." 

"Where?"  whispered  Claude. 

"A  little  over  the  port  bow.  I  should  think  there 
was  a  hundred  of  them." 

Turning  half  around,  Claude  ceased  rowing  a  few 
moments,  and  took  a  look  in  the  direction  indicated 
by  Phil. 

"Ye  gods  and  little  fishes!  what  a  sight!  I  never 
saw  so  many  ducks  before  in  my  life.  Where  is  my 
gun?" 

"  Here,"  and  Phil  passed  it  along. 

Claude  slipped  a  couple  of  cartridges  into  his  gun, 
and  laid  two  more  on  the  seat  beside  him,  then,  taking 
the  oars  again,  rowed  carefully  toward  the  flock. 

"  Is  your  rifle  loaded,  Phil?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  We  will  get  as  near  to  them  as  we  can,  and  give  it 
to  them  when  they  rise.  Gracious  !  I  wish  you  had  a 
gun  instead  of  a  rifle." 


A   Good  Day  for  Ducks.  299 

"  So  do  I." 

Claude  pulled  as  noiselessly  as  possible,  and  by  good 
luck  succeeded  in  getting  within  fair  gunshot  just  as 
two  or  three  of  the  flock  nearest  them  became  alarmed 
at  the  strange  object  approaching.  With  a  startled 
"  Quack !  quack!"  and  a  whirring  of  wings,  they 
were  up  and  away,  heading  toward  Indian  Cove. 

As  the  flock  left  the  water,  the  boys  pulled  trig- 
ger, and  the  moment  they  had  fired  they  loaded 
again,  and  banged  away  at  them  the  second  time. 
Then  Claude  laid  aside  his  gun,  and,  grasping  the 
oars,  sent  the  light  craft  dashing  up  to  the  dead  and 
wounded  ducks.  They  picked  up  eleven  dead  ones, 
and  saw  three  that  were  wounded  swimming  in  the 
direction  the  flock  had  taken.  These  Phil  brought 
to  bag  with  his  rifle,  shooting  one  at  a  time. 

When  Phil  had  shot  the  last  of  the  wounded  ones, 
Claude  turned  the  boat  toward  the  lower  part  of  the 
cove,  where  the  ducks  had  gone. 

"  Let  me  know,  Phil,  as  soon  as  you  sight  them 
again.  I  don't  believe  we  can  get  up  to  them  the 
second  time  with  the  boat,  but  we  will  row  as  near 
to  them  as  we  can,  and  then  land  and  go  through  the 
woods,  and  get  a  shot  at  them  from  the  shore.  What 
do  you  think  of  it?  " 

"  A  good  idea,  if  we  don't  frighten  them  away." 

After  ten  minutes'  rowing,  Phil  caught  sight  of  the 
flock  at  the  extreme  lower  end  of  the  cove,  and  in- 
formed Claude  as  to  their  whereabouts. 

Rowing  more  carefully,  Claude  brought  the  boat  to 
within  a-half-mile  of  the  ducks,  and  then,  pulling  in  to 
the  shore,  the  boys  landed  and  secured  their  boat. 


300  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Taking  their  weapons  and  plenty  of  cartridges, 
the}'  stole  carefully  through  the  woods,  just  far  enough 
back  from  the  lake  to  keep  the  water  in  sight. 

Ten  minutes'  stealthy  creeping  brought  them  oppo- 
site the  flock,  which  were  feeding  on  some  wild-rice, 
about  fifty  yards  away. 

Getting  into  position  they  took  aim  and  fired, 
knocking  over  several  of  the  wild  fowl,  and  throwing 
the  flock  into  confusion. 

Instead  of  flying  as  before,  the  ducks  swam  around 
in  circles,  and  thus  the  boys  were  enabled  to  get  a 
second  shot  at  them. 

This,  however,  put  them  to  flight ;  and,  rising  into 
the  air,  they  swept  across  the  narrow  point  at  the 
south  side  of  the  cove,  and  headed  down  the  lake. 

"  This  is  the  last  chance  we  shall  have  at  them," 
said  Claude ;  "  but  we  have  made  them  feel  sick. 
There's  a  dozen  floating  around  out  there,  sure.  Let's 
hurry  back  to  the  boat  and  pick  them  up." 

A  few  moments  sufficed  to  set  them  once  more 
afloat,  and  Phil  rowed  rapidly  to  the  dead  ducks. 
They  secured  fifteen  of  the  birds,  but  did  not  see  any 
wounded  ones,  and  the  boys  concluded  they  had  either 
killed  all  they  had  shot,  or  that  the  wounded  ones  had 
hid  nearer  the  shore  where  the  weeds  were  thicker. 

However,  they  felt  perfectly  satisfied  with  their  suc- 
cess, and,  after  picking  up  the  last  duck  they  could  find, 
headed  the  boat  for  the  inlet. 

"  A  pretty  good  haul,"  chuckled  Phil,  as  he  gazed  at 
the  dead  birds  before  him. 

"Yes,  twenty-nine  duck  is  not  a  bad  morning's 
work." 


On  their   Way  to  Camp.  301 

When  they  reached  the  jnlet  the  boys  changed  places, 
as  Claude  had  been  rowing  all  the  time  since  their 
start. 

They  reached  Little  Boy's  Falls  just  before  one 
o'clock,  and,  after  carrying  the  boat  and  their  rods 
around,  sat  down  to  eat  the  lunch  they  had  brought 
with  them  from  Flint's. 

"  I'd  like  to  know  what  the  rest  of  the  fellows  are  up 
to,"  remarked  Phil,  as  he  chewed  away  on  a  sandwich. 

"  I  don't  know ;  but  they  will  find  something  to 
amuse  themselves  about,  you  can  bet.  All  I  hope  is 
that  none  of  them  will  go  off  and  get  into  such  a  scrape 
as  we  found  ourselves  in  at  the  cave." 

"I  hope  not." 

"  The  berries  must  be  all  gone,"  said  Claude  ;  "  sup- 
pose we  pick  a  few  for  supper  while  we  are  here. 
These  raspberries  are  splendid,  and  I  am  very  fond  of 
them." 

"  So  am  I.  We  can  make  some  birch-bark  baskets 
to  carry  them  in." 

"  Correct,  old  man." 

"I  heard  Maynard  say  that  there  were  plenty  of  blue- 
berries on  the  Camel's  Rump." 

"  We'll  go  up  there  some  day,  Phil,  and  get  some. 
But  I  don't  want  anything  more  of  Skeleton  Cave." 

"  Nor  I." 

After  picking  a  couple  of  quarts  of  berries,  the  boys 
launched  their  boat  and  continued  up  river.  They 
reached  the  camp  just  before  six,  and  found  Adams  and 
Maynard  expecting  them. 

"  Where  are  the  rest  of  the  fellows?"  Claude  asked, 
as  the  cook  and  his  assistant  came  down  to  the  boat. 


302  Wild  Woods  Life. 


"Gone  on  an  expedition  to  the  North  Pole,  I  guess," 
replied  Adams,  laughing. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  queried  Phil. 

"After  you  had  gone,  yesterday  morning,  they  packed 
up  a  lot  of  grub,  took  their  weapons,  a  blanket  apiece, 
an  axe,  and  some  other  things,  and  started  up  river  in 
the  '  Go  Ahead.'  St.  Clair  said  they  were  going  over 
to  Arnold's  Bog,  and  try  and  get  a  moose,  and  that  they 
might  not  be  back  before  Monday  night.  Said  we  need 
not  be  worried  about  them  if  we  did  not  see  them  for  a 
week." 

"  I  hope  they  won't  get  lost,"  said  Claude;  "they 
ought  not  to  have  gone  off  that  way." 

"  I'll  risk  them."  responded  Maynard.  "  I  had  half 
a  mind  to  go  with  them,  but  I  thought  it  would  not  be 
fair  to  go  off  and  leave  Jack  alone  for  a  couple  of 
days." 

"Nor  safe,  either,"  asserted  Claude.  "  What  have 
you  been  doing  since  we  left?" 

"Nothing.  Have  been  right  here  in  camp  all  the 
time.  We've  had  some  fun  with  Nap  and  Lightfoot, 
though.  We  have  been  riding  them  bareback." 

"  Nonsense ! " 

"  It's  a  fact !     Ask  Jack." 

"Yes,  sir,"  declared  Adams.  "Frank  rode  Nap, 
and  I  Lightfoot.  It  was  as  good  as  a  circus  at  first ; 
but  after  a  while  we  trained  them  so  they  carried  us 
first-rate." 

"I  would  rather  see  you  do  it  than  hear  you  tell  of 
it,"  laughed  Phil,  incredulously. 

"You  can,  to-morrow,"  retorted  Maynard. 

"  Well,  let's  have  supper ;  I'm  about  starved,"  declared 


The  Cook  Surprised.  303 

Claude.  "  However,  we  may  as  well  take  up  the  flour 
and  potatoes  and  ducks,  first. 

'Ducks?     Where  are  they?"  Adams  asked. 

'  In  the  stern  of  the  boat.  Don't  you  see  them,  or 
are  you  as  blind  as  a  bat?  " 

"Gracious!  what  a  stack  of  ducks!"  exclaimed 
Adams,  as  his  eyes  lighted  on  them.  "  Have  you  been 
shooting  with  a  gatling  gun, Claude  !  " 

"-vNo,  sir.  Phil  and  I  knocked  them  over  with  my 
gun  and  his  rifle." 

"Where  did  you  find  them?"  asked  Maynard, 
eagerly. 

"On  the  lake.  It  will  be  a  good  job  for  you  to- 
morrow to  pick  them  !  "  and  Claude  gave  the  assistant 
cook  a  good-natured  punch  in  the  ribs. 

"  I'll  help  you,"  said  Adams. 

"  Here,  Phil,  take  this  bag  of  potatoes,"  and  Claude 
passed  one  out.  "  Here's  the  other,  Maynard.  Now, 
Jack,  help  me  take  out  the  boat,  and  then  you  and  I 
will  take  up  the  ducks  and  the  flour." 

After  the  boat  was  unloaded,  Phil  and  Claude  helped 
a  little  about  supper,  and  it  was  ready  at  seven  o'clock. 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  we  had  a  snow-squall  before 
long,"  said  Claude,  when  they  were  seated  at  the  table. 
"  This  is  the  coolest  evening  we've  had." 

"  I  don't  want  to  see  any,"  declared  Adams,  energeti- 
cally. "  I  hate  it." 

"  They  get  it  up  here  pretty  early  some  years,  I'm 
told,"  replied  Claude. 

"  By  Jove  !  I  miss  the  other  fellows,"  said  Phil,  when 
they  were  gathered  an  hour  later  around  the  camp-fire. 

"  So  do  I,"  added  Claude. 


304  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  I  tell  you,  boys,  Jack  and  I  missed  you  the  night 
you  were  in  the  cave.  I  don't  believe  I  slept  an  hour 
all  night !  "  and  Maynard  looked  sober  at  the  recollec- 
tion. 

"  Or  I  either,"  asserted  Adams.  "  As  soon  as  I  fell 
asleep,  I  would  get  to_dreaming  about  you,  and  keep 
waking  up." 

As  Claude  and  Phil  felt  rather  tired  from  their  two 
days'  expedition,  the  boys  went  to  bed  early,  having 
agreed  not  to  have  breakfast  the  next  morning  until  ten 
o'clock,  as  it  was  Sunday,  and  they  intended  to  spend 
the  day  in  camp. 

About  half-past  eight  Sunday  morning  Adams  awoke, 
and  singing  out  to  Maynard  to  "get  up,"  turned  out 
and  dressed  himself. 

Going  out-doors  he  found  there  had  been  a  frost  and 
a  heavy  fog,  the  latter  just  beginning  to  rise. 

The  sun  had  not  yet  pierced  the  fog,  and  everything 
around  was  cold  and  wet.  Going  into  the  kitchen,  he 
started  a  fire  in  the  stove,  muttering  as  he  worked  about 
the  fog.  Maynard  soon  joined  him,  and  together  they 
proceeded  to  get  breakfast. 

Before  it  was  ready  Claude  and  Phil  made  their  ap- 
pearance, joking  and  stretching,  as  if  they  had  been 
sleeping  a  week.  After  performing  their  toilet  they 
came  around  to  the  kitchen  to  watch  the  cooks. 

"  I  had  a  rousing  sleep  last  night,"  said  Phil,  as  they 
stood  around  the  stove. 

"  I  wish  Foster  and  Robbins  were  with  us  to-day," 
remarked  Claude.  "  How  they  would  enjoy  it !  " 

"  So  do  I,"  added  Maynard  ;  "  they  were  two  mighty 
good  fellows ! " 


Thoughts  of  Absent  Friends.  305 

"  And  poor  Smithy,  too,"  said  Adams.  "  I  tell  you 
I  felt  bad  when  he  died  ;  there  never  was  a  better 
fellow  drew  breath  !  "  and  the  tears  came  into  Adams' 
eyes  as  he  thought  of  his  dead  friend. 

"Peace  to  his  memory!"  responded  Claude.  "If 
there  is  such  a  place  as  heaven,  I  believe  he  went  to 
it." 

"  So  do  I,"  added  Maynard. 

"  I  believe  I  shall  write  to  Foster  to-day,"  remarked 
Claude ;  "  it  would  stir  him  up  to  get  a  letter  from  us 
dated  in  the  woods." 

"Not  a  bad  thought,"  asserted  Maynard  ;  "and  I'll 
write  to  Robbins.  I  suppose  he  is  having  a  gay  time 
down  in  Florida  among  the  oranges  and  bananas." 

"  Breakfast  is  ready,"  said  Adams. 

"  And  I  am  ready  for  it,"  added  Claude.  "  Don't 
those  beans  smell  good  ?  " 

"First-rate,"  returned  Phil.  "You  Boston  people 
understand  cooking  beans." 

"Yes,  that's  a  New  England  patent,"  laughed  May- 
nard. 

By  the  time  breakfast  was  over  the  sun  had  come 
out  bright  and  warm,  and  while  the  cook,  with  Phil's 
assistance,  was  clearing  away  the  table  and  washing 
the  dishes,  Claude  and  Maynard  wrote  their  letters. 

In  the  afternoon  they  all  took  a  bath  in  the  river,  and 
then  passed  away  a  couple  of  hours  in  reading.  Dinner 
was  served  at  four  o'clock,  Adams  declaring  that  two 
meals  on  Sunday  were  enough,  and  his  friends  agreed 
to  the  arrangement. 

Around  the  camp-fire,  in  the  evening,  Adams  gave 
up  his  berth,  and  told  Maynard  he  could  consider  him- 


306  Wild  Woods  Life. 

self  cook  for  the  next  week,  and  as  there  was  no  one 
else  in  camp  but  Claude,  and  as  he  had  already  served 
both  as  cook  and  assistant,  it  devolved  upon  Phil  to 
become  Maynard's  assistant. 

"  I  don't  mind  being  an  assistant,"  laughed  Phil  ; 
"  but  I  pity  you  the  week  I  am  cook,  for  you  know  I 
did  not  take  lessons  in  the  art,  as  the  rest  of  you  did." 

"  Maynard  is  a  good  cook,"  declared  Claude;  "you 
must  watch  him  sharp  next  week,  and  learn  to  go  it 
alone  the  week  after." 

"  I'll  do  the  best  I  can,"  responded  the  young  man 
from  Brooklyn,  and  the  little  party  broke  up  and  re- 
tired to  rest. 

Monday  morning  came  in  cloudy  and  cool.  The  boys 
stopped  in  camp  during  the  forenoon,  and  Adams  and 
Maynard  proved  to  the  satisfaction  of  both  Claude  and 
Phil  that  they  could  ride  Nap  and  Lightfoot. 

Maynai'd  began  the  show  by  unfastening  the  chain 
from  the  tree  ;  then,  making  a  slip  noose  over  Nap's 
nose,  he  straddled  the  bear,  and  rode  him  triumphantly 
around  the  camp.  But  the  act  ended  differently  from 
what  he  had  intended  ;  for  after  a  while,  when  near  the 
river,  the  bear  suddenly  dashed  into  the  stream,  and, 
lowering  his  head  with  a  jerk,  sent  Maynard  flying  over 
it,  and  he  lit  with  a  splash  in  two  feet  of  water,  and 
went  all  under  before  he  could  gain  a  footing.  He 
emerged,  dripping  from  head  to  foot,  while  Nap,  who 
really  acted  as  if  he  enjoyed  the  joke,  ambled  back  to 
his  quarters,  and  Claude  chained  him  up. 

Although  a  good-natured  fellow,  Maynard  lost  his 
temper,  and,  picking  up  a  club  was  about  to  give  the 
bear  a  good  beating  ;  but  his  friends,  nearly  choking  with 


An   Odd  Performance.  307 

laughter,  interceded  for  Bruin,  and  Maynard,  thinking 
better  of  it,  went  to  the  tent  and  put  on  some  dry 
clothing. 

"Look  out  you  don't  get  served  the  same  way!" 
warned  Claude,  as  Adams  went  up  to  Lightfoot,  and 
led  him  out  of  the  pen  the  boys  had  built  for  him. 

"  No  danger  ;  Lightfoot  isn't  tricky.  He's  as  gentle 
as  a  lamb,"  and  Adams  gave  the  buck  a  handful  of  salt, 
and  then  mounted  him. 

The  deer  trotted  around  the  camp  several  times,  and 
appeared  perfectly  unconcerned  about  the  odd  burden 
he  carried  on  his  back. 

Phil  pronounced  the  show  a  success,  and  then  Adams 
took  Lightfoot  back  to  his  pen  and  secured  him. 

"  How  are  the  eagles  getting  along?"  Claude  asked, 
as  Maynard  made  his  appearance  in  a  dry  suit. 

"  First-rate  !"  replied  the  impromptu  bather.  "I 
call  them  Romulus  and  Remus.  They  will  eat  out  of 
your  hand  ;  but  you  have  to  look  out  for  them,  for  they 
bite  too  hard  sometimes." 

"What  did  you  name  them  after  Romans  for?" 
queried  Phil.  "  They  are  American  birds." 

"  The  old  Roman  standard  had  an  eagle  on  it,"  re- 
torted Maynard. 

"  You  ought  to  have  named  them  Ben  Butler  and 
Daniel  Pratt,"  laughed  Claude. 

"  Yes,  to  have  named  one  after  the  '  Great  American 
Traveller '  would  have  been  very  appropriate,"  declared 
Adams. 

After  dinner,  as  it  still  continued  cloudy,  the  boys 
thought  it  would  be  a  good  time  for  fishing,  and  went 
down  the  river  three  miles  to  some  rapids,  where,  in 


308  Wild  Woods  Life. 

two  hours'  fishing,  they  took  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  trout,  none,  however,  weighing  over  a  pound. 

They  expected  their  missing  friends  to  supper,  but 
they  did  not  come,  and,  after  they  had  eaten,  the  table 
was  cleared  away. 

It  grew  cold  rapidly  after  the  sun  went  down,  and 
the  sky  looked  like  a  storm. 

"  I  would  give  ten  dollars  if  those  fellows  were  back 
here,"  remarked  Claude,  breaking  an  uncomfortably 
long  silence,  as  the  boys  sat  warming  their  feet  around 
the  camp-fire. 

"  I  shall  not  feel  anyway  worried  about  them  before 
to-morrow  night,"  added  Maynard.  "  It  must  be  twenty 
odd  miles  from  here  to  Arnold's  Bog." 

"I  guess  they  will  turn  up  by  to-morrow  night,"  said 
Phil.  "  They  would  know  we  should  be  anxious  about 
them  if  they  stopped  away  too  long." 

"  I  am  going  to  bed,"  said  Adams  ;  "  I  feel  sleepy." 

This  broke  up  the  party,  and  his  friends  retired  with 
him  to  the  tent. 

Phil  was  the  first  one  out  in  the  morning,  and 
was  surprised  to  find  three  inches  of  snow  on  the 
ground. 

"  Get  up,  fellows,"  he  cried.  "  It's  a  regular  winter 
morning.  The  ground  is  covered  with  snow." 

'  Start  a  fire  in  the  stove,"  said  Maynard.     "  I'll  be 
with  you  in  a  few  minutes." 

"I  thought  we  should  find  snow  this  morning,"  re- 
marked Claude.  "  There  was  a  regular  chill  in  the  air 
last  night." 

"  It  will  soon  go  after  the  sun  gets  up,"  observed 
Adams. 


The  First  Snow.  309 


"  I  guess  the  fellows  had  a  cold  time  of  it  last  night," 
said  Claude. 

"  I'll  bet  they  wished  they  were  here  in  the  tent," 
added  Maynard,  as  he  went  out  to  see  to  the  breakfast. 

The  boys  found  the  walking  very  disagreeable,  and, 
as  every  bush  and  tree  was  covered  with  the  fleecy  ma- 
terial, they  could  scarcely  move  without  some  of  it  shak- 
ing down  on  them.  Rain  in  the  woods  is  far  preferable 
to  the  first  snow-storm. 

"  I'll  soon  have  one  dry  place  around  here,"  declared 
Claude,  as  he  went  into  the  store-tent  for  some  dry  ma- 
terial, and,  returning,  started  a  huge  camp-fire,  whose 
heat  soon  eat  into  the  snow  for  a  circle  of  twenty  feet 
around  it,  sending  up  clouds  of  steam  from  the  damp 
ground. 

By  the  time  they  had  eaten  breakfast  the  sun  began 
to  make  itself  felt,  and  it  gave  promise  of  a  warm  day ; 
it  turned  out  to  be  one  of  the  hottest  they  had  experi- 
enced for  some  time,  and  before  night  the  snow  had  dis- 
appeared, wherever  it  was  fully  exposed  to  the  sun. 

With  the  exception  of  a  short  row  on  the  river,  the 
boys  had  remained  in  camp,  as  there  was  no  pleasure 
in  the  woods,  the  melting  snow  being  worse  than  rain, 
and,  as  the  ducks  and  trout  they  had  captured  the  day 
before  amply  supplied  the  larder,  there  was  no  call  for 
them  to  take  a  disagreeable  tramp. 

Expecting  their  absent  friends,  as  they  did  that  night 
without  fail,  Maynard  prepared  a  nice  supper,  and  had 
it  all  ready  at  six  o'clock. 

But  half-past  six  came,  and  still  there  were  no  signs 
of  the  wanderers. 

The  bovs  waited  until  seven  o'clock,  and  then  reluct- 


310  Wild  Woods  Life. 

antly  sat  down  to  the  evening  meal,  not  without  many 
gloomy  forebodings  as  to  where  their  companions  could 
be. 

"  I  don't  like  it,  — I  tell  you,  I  don't  like  it ! "  repeated 
Claude,  as  he  stopped  eating  to  give  expression  to  this 
opinion. 

"The  fellows' not  turning  up,  I  suppose  you  mean?" 
suggested  Maynard. 

"  Yes." 

"  If  they  get  back  all  right,  I  think  we  had  all  better 
keep  together,  after  this,"  said  Phil. 

"  So  do  I,"  responded  Adams. 

"  You  see  they  have  been  gone  five  days,  now,"  and 
Claude  stared  into  vacancy,  as  if  he  saw  them  all  before 
him. 

"  I  would  like  to  know  if  they  reached  the  bog  that 
night,"  Phil  said. 

"  I  don't  believe  they  would  go  over  there  in  a  day, 
if  it  is  twenty  miles,"  asserted  Maynard.  "  That  is  a 
pretty  hard  day's  tramp  in  the  woods,  and  they  did  not 
know  the  way,  either." 

"How  much  provision  did  they  take?"  questioned 
Claude. 

"  Oh,  they  took  enough  to  last  them  a  week  ! "  replied 
Adams.  "  That  is,  if  they  could  get  any  fish  or  game 
to  go  with  it.  I  told  St.  Clair,  when  he  was  putting  it 
up,  that  he  was  taking  twice  as  much  as  he  needed. 
And  he  laughed,  and  said  that  they  did  not  mean  to  go 
hungry.  I'll  risk  them  on  the  grub." 

"  If  they  don't  come  to-night,  I  think  we  had 
better  go  after  them  to-morrow,"  ventured  Maynard, 
"  and  try  and  look  them  up." 


Arguing  the  Case.  311 

"Where  are  we  going  to  look?"  demanded  Claude, 
sharply.  "  How  do  we  know,  in  the  first  place, 
whether  they  went  to  Arnold's  Bog  or  not?" 

"Well,  they  said  they  were  going,  —  that's  all  I 
know  about  it." 

"  They  might  have  changed  their  minds  after  they 
left  here,"  continued  Claude  ;  "  and  if  they  did  go,  we 
don't  know  which  route  they  took,  or  which  way 
they  would  come  back.  I  wish  they  had  been  con- 
tented to  cruise  around  here." 

Supper  over,  and  the  work  done  up,  the  boys 
gathered  around  the  camp-fire  as  usual,  and  the  con- 
versation again  turned  on  the  absentees. 

"  Didn'tyou  tell  me,  Adams,"  said  Claude,  "  that  the 
boys  started  up  the  river?  " 

"  Yes,  they  certainly  went  that  way." 

"  They  took  a  queer  route  to  Arnold's  Bog,  then, 
for  the  trail  starts  from  Otter  Creek,  below  us." 

"By  Jove!  you  are  right,  Claude,"  exclaimed  May- 
nard.  "  I  never  thought  of  that." 

Adams  gave  a  long  whistle.  It  had  not  occurred 
to  him  either. 

"  Then   they  have  not  gone  there,"    declared    Phil. 

"  That  don't  necessarily  follow,"  replied  Claude ; 
"because  they  could  leave  the  river  anywhere  above, 
and  by  travelling  east,  or  a  little  north  of  east,  reach 
the  bog.  But,  if  I  had  been  going  there,  I  should 
have  gone  down  to  Otter  Creek,  and  followed  the 
spotted  line  from  there.  That  would  be  the  most 
direct  way  to  go." 

Until  ten  o'clock  the  boys  sat  by  the  blazing  fire, 
arguing  all  the  points  of  the  case  ;  but  when  they  went 


312  Wild  Woods  Life. 

to  bed  they  were  no  nearer  a  solution  of  the  mystery  of 
their  companions'  absence  than  they  had  been  before. 

They  had  scarcely  dropped  asleep  when  a  crash 
resounded  through  the  forest,  that  awoke  and  startled 
them,  and  for  some  moments  they  could  not  think 
what  was  up. 

They  listened  awhile,  and  not  hearing  anything 
more,  Claude  remarked  that  he  guessed  it  must  have 
been  some  old  tree  gone  down ;  and  with  that  ex- 
planation they  were  silenced,  if  not  convinced. 

A  little  after  midnight  they  were  awakened  again 
by  a  series  of  discordant  cries  that  brought  them  to 
their  feet,  while  a  feeling  of  alarm  crept  over  them. 
The  noise  was  soon  repeated,  and  Claude  declared  it 
was  a  screech-owl,  in  a  tree  near  them,  and,  pulling 
on  his  pants  and  slippers,  he  caught  up  his  gun,  and 
going  out,  discovered  the  tree  that  contained  the  owl, 
and  fired  both  barrels  at  random  into  the  foliage. 
The  shots  were  followed  by  the  flapping  of  wings, 
and  they  heard  no  more  from  the  owl. 

About  two  hours  after  they  were  again  awakened 
by  Nap,  who  was  growling  and  rattling  his  chain, 
and,  rushing  out,  beheld  a  large  moose  stamping 
around  the  bear.  The  moon  shone  fair  upon  him, 
and,  forgetting  caution  in  their  excitement,  they  sprang 
for  their  guns  with  a  shout,  and  the  moose,  alarmed 
by  their  cries,  gave  a  startled  snort,  and  went  crash- 
ing away  through  the  underbrush. 

"  I  would  like  to  know  if  the  gentleman  with  the 
cloven  foot  has  taken  a  contract  to  keep  us  awake  all 
night  ?  "  asked  Claude,  angrily,  after  the  moose  had  dis- 
appeared. 


An  Unsatisfactory  Moose-Hunt.  313 

"  Can't  say,"  laughed  Maynard  ;  "  but  I  wish  I  could 
have  drawn  a  bead  on  that  moose.  Wasn't  he  a 
rouser?" 

"  As  large  as  a  small  elephant,"  declared  Adams. 

"  He  and  Nap  would  have  had  a  fight  in  about  five 
minutes  more,"  remarked  Phil. 

"  We'll  warm  him  up  to-morrow,  if  we  can  get  within 
sight  of  him,"  observed  Claude,  as  they  sought  their 
blankets  for  the  fourth  time. 

Nothing  further  occurred  to  trouble  them  during  the 
night ;  but  having  been  broken  of  their  rest  so  much 
made  them  oversleep,  and  it  was  eight  o'clock  when 
Maynard,  who  was  the  first  to  awaken,  turned  out. 
The  others  soon  joined  him,  and  breakfast  was  prepared 
and  eaten  in  a  hurry.  Then,  taking  their  guns  and 
rifles,  with  a  supply  of  ammunition,  they  started  on  the 
trail  of  the  moose,  which,  as  Phil  laughingly  remarked, 
"  was  as  plain  as  the  nose  on  a  man's  face." 

"  I  don't  believe  he  will  go  far,"  said  Claude,  as  they 
hurried  along  in  pursuit. 

But  the  young  gentleman  was  mistaken,  for  they 
followed  the  trail  for  two  miles  down  the  river  on  that 
side,  and  then  came  to  a  place  where  the  animal  had 
crossed.  • 

The  water  was  shallow,  and,  without  waiting  to  pull 
off  boots  or  stockings,  they  waded  across,  and,  after 
some  little  delay,  picked  up  the  trail  on  the  other  side. 

They  started  on  now  with  renewed  ardor,  cheered  by 
the  thought  that,  perhaps,  they  had  not  much  farther  to 
go  ;  but,  after  travelling  until  noon  without  coming  in 
sight  of  the  game,  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they 
did  not  want  the  moose,  and,  tired  and  hungry,  returned 


314  Wild  Woods  Life. 

to  camp.  It  had  been  a  veritable  case  of ' '  sour  grapes  " 
for  them. 

They  had  hoped  to  find  their  friends  awaiting  them 
on  their  return,  but  the  camp  was  deserted  except  by 
their  pets,  and,  with  many  misgivings  for  the  safety  of 
their  friends,  they  proceeded  to  get  supper,  which  was 
ready  at  six  o'clock. 

They  were  just  sitting  down  to  the  table  when  they 
heard  voices,  and,  looking  eagerly  at  each  other,  they 
rushed  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  beheld  the  "  Go 
Ahead  "  coming  in  to  the  landing. 

They  gave  a  regular  yell  when  they  beheld  their 
friends  all  right,  which  was  answered  by  the  party  in 
the  boat,  and  a  moment  later  they  were  all  shaking 
hands. 

"  How  are  you,  fellows?  "  said  St.  Clair,  as  he  jumped 
on  shore ;  "it  seems  as  if  I  had  been  gone  a  month." 

"  Have  you  been  to  supper?  "  asked  Wingate. 

"  No,"  replied  Adams  ;  "  we  were  just  sitting  down." 

"  Glory  hallelujah  !  I  am  hungry  enough  to  eat  a 
shark." 

"Where  under  the  sun  have  you  been?"  queried 
Claude. 

"  Wait  until  after  supper,  and  we  will  tell  you," 
answered  St.  Clair. 

"  We  were  very  anxious  about  you,"  said  Maynard. 

"I  suppose  so,"  responded  Le  Roy;  "  but  we 
couldn't  get  here  any  sooner.  We  have  had  an  awful 
tramp  ;  if  you  don't  believe  it,  ask  the  other  fellows." 


Return  from  Arnold's  Bog.  315 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Around  the  Camp-Fire.  —  St.  Clair's  Story.  —  A  Night  at  Black 
Pond. — Deer  by  Moonlight. — Arnold's  Bog. — The  Camp  at 
the  Forks.  —  Moose-Hunting  at  Night.  —  A  Sleepy  Hunter.  — 
The  Battle  between  the  Moose.  —  Locked  Horns.  —  Large 
Game.  —  A  Visit  from  Indians.  —  Building  a  Raft.  —  Lake 
Megantic.  —  A  Night  at  a  Hotel.  —  Return  up  the  Lake.  —  A 
Hard  Tramp.  —  Lost.  —  Climbing  a  Mountain.  —  The  Forks 
Again.  —  Back  to  Camp. 

"  Now  give  an  account  of  yourselves,"  said  Claude, 
as  the  boys,  contented  and  happy,  gathered  around  the 
huge  camp-fire,  which  had  been  piled  high  with  wood, 
for  the  night  was  again  chilly. 

"  It's  a  long  story,"  returned  St.  Clair,  "  and  it  will 
take  some  time  to  tell  it." 

"  No  matter,"  added  Maynard  ;  "  we  have  the  night 
before  us.  Blaze  away  !  " 

"  Perhaps  you  wondered  at  our  starting  up  river  to 
go  to  Arnold's  Bog,"  began  St.  Clair. 

"  We  didn't  think  anything  about  it  at  the  time," 
answered  Maynard;  "but  Claude  spoke  of  it  after  he 
and  Phil  came  back  from  Flint's." 

"Exactly.  Well,  I  know  how  to  go  to  Arnold's 
Bog  as  well  as  any  of  you,  but  although  we  started  for 
that  place  we  were  in  no  particular  hurry  to  get  to  it. 
We  had  a  roving  commission,  and  I  intended  to  explore 
the  country  a  little. 

"We  started  up  river,  as  you  know,  but  we  took  it 


316  Wild  Woods  Life. 

easy,  and  did  not  reach  the  Forks  until  noon.  Then  we 
had  dinner.  Afterward  we  took  our  boat  out  of  the 
water,  carried  her  into  the  bushes,  and  covered  her 
over  with  limbs,  completely  concealing  her,  while  the 
oars  and  paddle  we  hid  in  another  place." 

"  A  wise  precaution,"  observed  Phil. 

"  Then  we  started  up  the  East  Branch,  keeping  on 
the  south  side  of  the  stream.  We  shot  two  partridges 
before  we  had  gone  half  a  mile,  and  saw  three  others, 
but  missed  them. 

"  Reaching  the  trail  that  led  to  Black  Pond,  we 
turned  into  it,  but  although  the  spotted  line  was  plain 
enough,  the  path  was  somewhat  overgrown,  and  was 
plentifully  interspersed  with  windfalls,  making  it  hard 
travelling  for  us,  as  we  each  carried  quite  a  load." 

"  Sin  is  always  heavy,"  laughed  Adams. 

"  About  four  o'clock  we  hove  in  sight  of  the  pond, 
and,  as  an  Irishman  would  say,  the  first  thing  we  shot 
was  a  deer  that  we  missed." 

"  A  deer?"  queried  Maynard. 

"  Yes.  A  noble  fellow  he  was,  too.  He  stood  at 
the  edge  of  the  pond,  tail  toward  us.  But  the  noise  of 
our  approach  frightened  him,  and,  turning,  he  galloped 
into  the  wooks.  We  all  fired  at  him,  and  we  all 
missed." 

"If  he  had  taken  to  the  water  we  should  have  had 
him  sure,"  added  Wingate. 

"  I  guess  we  should  ;  but  his  head  was  level.  He 
took  to  the  woods,  and  that  was  the  last  we  saw  of  him. 
We  followed  the  shore  of  the  pond  around  to  the  outlet, 
crossed  the  stream,  and,  as  it  was  then  five  o'clock,  pre- 
pared to  camp. 


St.   Claims  Story.  317 

"  While  Le  Roy  and  I  built  a  brush-camp,  Wingate 
strung  up  his  rod  and  went  to  fishing. 

"  He  had  splendid  luck,  and,  in  half  an  hour,  took 
thirty  trout,  running  from  half  a  pound  to  a  pound 
each." 

"  I  tell  you,  boys,  it  was  good  sport."  And  Win- 
gate's  eyes  sparkled  at  the  remembrance. 

"  By  the  time  Wingate  had  dressed  the  trout,  we  had 
a  good  fire  under  way,  and,  cutting  up  a  few  slices  of 
pork,  soon  had  the  trout  in  the  frying-pan. 

"  After  supper  we  spread  one  of  our  blankets  over 
the  boughs  we  had  gathered,  reserving  the  other  two 
to  cover  us.  Then  we  built  up  a  rousing  fire  outside 
the  hut,  and  laid  around  it,  and  took  our  ease. 

"  Before  turning  in  for  the  night  we  heard  several 
noises  in  the  pond  near  us,  as  if  animals  of  some  kind 
were  in  the  water,  and  an  old  loon,  some  distance  away, 
serenaded  us  with  his  melancholy  music. 

"  Although  cool,  the  evening  was  very  pleasant. 
The  moon  lighted  up  the  whole  pond,  except  where  the 
trees  around  the  shores  overshadowed  the  water,  and  a 
gentle  breeze,  that  just  rippled  the  surface,  gave  the 
most  enchanting  effect  to  the  moonlight. 

"  Leaving  our  fire  to  burn  itself  out  we  rose  to  go  to 
bed.  As  we  started  toward  the  camp  I  descried  a  dark 
speck  in  the  middle  of  the  pond,  some  distance  away 
from  us,  moving  rapidly  toward  the  opposite  shore.  It 
was  a  deer. 

"  Wingate  and  Le  Roy  rushed  for  their  rifles,  and 
opened  fire  upon  the  animal ;  but  they  did  not  hit  it, 
and  we  watched  until  it  disappeared  in  the  shadow  of 
the  trees.  Then  we  crawled  between  our  blankets. 


318  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  We  had  a  good  night's  rest,  —  slept  like  troopers,  — 
and  did  not  awake  until  seven  the  next  morning. 

"  We  were  a  little  chagrined  at  having  slept  so  long, 
as  we  had  intended  to  make  an  early  start,  and  all  took 
hold  and  helped  to  get  breakfast. 

"  At  half-past  eight  we  scattered  our  fire,  and, 
shouldering  our  packs,  struck  out  in  a  north-easterly 
direction. 

"  Crossing  a  valley  we  skirted  a  lofty  mountain  for 
some  distance.  Then  crossed  some  more  flat  land, 
through  the  centre  of  which  ran  a  small  brook,  that 
I  judge  is  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Magalloway  ;  then 
began  to  climb  a  high  mountain,  which,  from  certain 
indications  we  saw  upon  reaching  the  summit,  was  a 
part  of  the  chain  of  mountains  that  form  the  boundary." 

"  How  was  the  travelling?"  Claude  asked. 

"  Hard.  The  underbrush  was  troublesome,  and 
when  we  wei'e  among  large  trees  we  found  a  great  many 
windfalls.  Any  way,  when  we  reached  the  top  of  the 
mountain  we  were  tired  enough  to  stop,  and  we  did. 

"  Looking  at  my  watch  I  found  it  was  noon,  and  we 
took  a  cold  dinner,  as  we  did  not  wish  to  stop  to  build  a 
fire." 

"  Could  you  see  anything  from  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tain?" inquired  Maynard. 

"  Yes  ;  mountains  in  every  direction,  thickly  wooded, 
a  few  being  bare  on  top.  We  counted  a  dozen  or  more 
silvery  specks  that  denoted  water;  but  we  could  not 
tell  what  they  were.  I  tell  you  I  never  saw  such  a 
wilderness  in  my  life.  One  huge  forest  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach,  on  every  hand. 

"  At  one  o'clock  we  descended  the  mountain  on  the 


At  Arnold's  Bog.  319 

east  side,  and  affer  two  hours'  travelling,  lost  the  clean 
timbered  forest,  and  came  upon  stunted  and  dead  trees, 
and  wet  land,  which  we  concluded  must  be  Arnold's 
Bog. 

"  We  tried  to  cross  it  where  we  were,  and  reach  the 
high  land,  on  the  opposite  side  ;  but  finding  the  water  so 
deep  that  we  should  be  compelled  to  wade,  we  gave  up 
the  idea,  and,  turning  north,  travelled  until  we  cleared 
the  bog-land,  and  reached  the  forks  of  Arnold's  River, 
where  we  concluded  to  camp,  on  the  side  we  then  stood. 

"  It  was  mighty  hard  travelling  around  the  edge  of 
the  bog,  and  it  was  five  o'clock  when  we  arrived  at  the 
Forks,  about  used  up.  I  never  felt  more  tired  in  my 
life." 

"  Do  you  good,"  returned  Adams,  smiling. 

"  The  quick  water  in  front  of  our  camping-site  was 
suggestive  of  trout,  and  while  Wingate  and  Le  Roy 
built  a  camp  I  went  to  fishing,  and  I  found  the  trout 
plenty  enough  to  keep  me  busy. 

"  After  taking  enough  for  our  supper  and  breakfast, 
I  started  a  fire,  and  prepared  supper,  Andrew  and  Tom 
furnishing  the  firewood. 

"  We  rested  awhile  after  eating,  and  about  dark  we 
lighted  our  lantern,  for  the  sky  was  overcast,  and  we 
could  not  see  to  walk  very  plainly,  and,  guided  by  its 
rays,  started  for  the  bog. 

"  We  followed  around  the  edge  until  we  found  signs  of 
moose,  and  then,  roosting  on  the  limbs  of  some  old 
stubs,  that  were  just  high  enough  to  keep  our  feet 
from  the  water,  we  waited  the  coming  of  the  moose. 

"  But  they  'didn't  come  for  a  cent,'  that  is,  not  in  our 
immediate  vicinity,  and  although  we  heard  them  crash- 


320  Wild  Woods  Life. 

ing  and  splashing  some  distance  from  'us,  nary  a  moose 
did  we  see." 

"Why  didn't  you  go  where  they  were  ?  "  asked  Claude, 
excitedly. 

"  Why  didn't  we?  The  best  reason  I  can  give  you 
is  because  we  had  not  quite  lost  our  common-sense.  If 
you  would  like  to  go  perambulating  around  Arnold's 
Bog  in  the  night,  you  can,  but  none  of  it  for  me.  Why, 
the  water  is  two  feet  deep  in  some  places,  and  it  is  full 
of  pot-holes,  old  stumps,  and  everything  else.  If  we 
had  carried  a  boat  with  us,  it  would  have  been  different. 

"  We  stuck  to  our  perch  until  we  were  sleepy  and 
half-frozen,  and  finally  Le  Roy  dropped  the  lantern,  and 
it  went  out,  but  by  good  luck  the  chimney  wafc  not 
broken." 

"Went  to  sleep,  I  suppose,"  observed  Phil,  with  a 
laugh. 

"  You  would  go  to  sleep  if  you  had  been  roosting  on 
a  stump  for  three  hours,  after  tramping  all  day,"  retorted 
Le  Roy. 

"  I  thought  then,"  continued  St.  Clair,  "  that  we  had 
better  getback  to  camp.  Fishingup  the  lantern  we  lighted 
it,  and  started,  too  tired  and  sleepy  to  care  whether  we 
saw  any  moose  or  not.  But  although  we  heard  several 
on  the  way  back,  and  knew  there  was  game  in  the 
vicinity,  we  did  not  see  any,  and  when  we  reached  camp 
we  did  not  waste  much  time  in  getting  between  our , 
blankets,  I  assure  you." 

"You  were  a  healthy  set  of  hunters!"  and  Adams 
poked  St.  Clair  in  the  ribs,  and  winked  at  Claude,  who 
laughed  heartily. 

"You  fellows  are  running  ahead  of  your  ticket,"  re- 


A  Moose-Fight.  323 


torted  St.  Clair ;  "  for  we  shot  a  moose  all  the  same,  if 
we  didn't  see  one  the  first  night." 

' '  You  want  a  little  glue  to  make  that  yarn  hold  to- 
gether," declared  Maynard. 

"  Are  you  telling  this  story,  or  am  I  "  demanded  St. 
Clair,  with  some  asperity.  "  If  you  are  going  to  tell  it 
I  will  take  a  back  seat." 

"Oh,  stop  your  bickering,  fellows!"  cried  Claude. 
"  Go  ahead  with  your  story,  Andrew  ;  you  are  doing 
well." 

"  As  you  may  well  imagine,  we  did  not  hurry  any 
about  getting  up  Sunday  morning,  and  it  was  eleven 
o'clock  before  we  turned  out.  Then  we  cooked  our 
dinner  and  ate  it,  wishing  all  the  time  that  the  rest  of 
you  were  with  us. 

"  After  the  meal  was  over  we  fell  into  conversation, 
and,  knowing  that  Arnold's  River  flowed  into  Megantic 
Lake,  we  concluded,  after  some  talk,  to  try  and  build  a 
raft,  the  next  day,  and  sail  down  to  the  lake,  the  rapids 
ending  a  little  way  below  us. 

"We  took  a  walk  down  to  the  dead-water  during  the 
afternoon,  and,  searching  about,  found  some  good-sized 
cedars  that  would  answer  admirably  for  the  construction 
of  our  raft. 

"We  saw  in  the  vicinity  of  our  camp  numerous  signs 
of  deer,  caribou,  and  moose,  and  there  is  no  doubt  but 
what  large  game  is  very  plentiful  in  that  vicinity. 

"  We  ate  our  supper  and  started  a  large  fire  afterwards 
to  sit  by,  and,  while  we  were  speaking  of  the  best  way 
to  build  our  raft,  we  heard  an  awful  racket  toward  the 
bog,  and,  taking  our  fire-arms,  rushed  in  the  direction 
of  the  noise. 


324  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  It  sounded  like  a  succession  of  heavy  shocks,  accom- 
panied by  loud  bellowings  and  snortings. 

"  It  was  not  dark  yet,  and  following  the  direction  of 
the  noise,  we  soon  came  to  a  sight  that,  I  think,  must 
be  rarely  witnessed." 

"  What  was  that?"  interrupted  Claude. 

"  A  regular  prize-fight  between  two  bull  moose." 

"  Great  Scott !  "  ejaculated  Adams. 

"They  were  at  it  hot  and  heavy  —  give  and  take  — 
and  no  quarter  asked.  They  would  back  off  a  rod  or 
two,  and  then,  making  a  dive  at  each  other,  bring  their 
heads  together  with  a  crash  that  I  thought  would  split 
them  open.  And  the  snorting  and  bellowing  beat  all 
that  I  ever  heard. 

"  Whispering  together  that  we  would  not  spoil  the 
fun,  we  crept  up  as  near  as  we  dared,  and  then  watched 
the  battle. 

"  It  was  hard  telling  how  it  would  go,  but  suddenly 
something  occurred  that  neither  of  the  moose  had  reck- 
oned on." 

"  What  was  that?"  broke  in  Maynard. 

"  Rushing  together  with  more  courage  than  sense, 
their  heads  struck  with  a  crash,  and  their  horns 
became  locked  in  such  a  manner  that  they  could  not 
tear  them  apart." 

"  They  were  in  a  bad  fix,"  said  Phil. 

"  You're  right,  they  were.  In  vain  they  pulled,  and 
backed,  and  swerved  from  one  side  to  the  other,  like 
two  accomplished  wrestlers,  both  intent  on  victory. 
But  the  locked  horns  would  not  yield,  and  as  it  began 
to  grow  dark,  we  concluded  that  the  moose  must  call  it  a 
draw  game,  and  that  we  would  step  in  and  finish  it  for 
them." 


Indians.  325 

"  I  should  like  to  have  been  there,"  cried  Claude,  ex- 
citedly. 

"  So  should  I,"  added  Maynard. 

"We  accordingly  opened  fire  ton  them.  I  had  my 
gun,  and  Tom  and  Charlie  their  rifles.  The  first  round 
we  fired  was  a  surprise  party  to  them,  as  up  to 
that  time  they  were  unaware  of  our  presence.  But 
after  they  received  our  shots  the  way  they  tore  around 
was  a  caution  to  snakes. 

"  Fearing  that  in  their  tremendous  struggles  they 
might  break  their  horns,  and  thus  free  themselves,  we 
loaded  and  fired  as  fast  as  possible,  until  they  laid 
stretched  out  before  us  as  dead  as  door-nails. 

"  Then  we  cut  out  their  tongues,  and  made  our  way 
back  to  camp,  and  went  to  bed  early,  and  had  another 
good  night's  sleep. 

"  The  next  morning  while  we  were  eating  breakfast 
we  were  surprised  to  see  an  Indian  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river.  In  front  of  our  camp  were  shallow 
rapids,  and  the  red  man  waded  across  and  came  up  to 
where  we  were  sitting. 

"  He  asked  us  what  we  were  doing,  where  we  had 
come  from,  and  so  on  ;  and  we  told  him  who  we  were, 
what  we  had  come  there  for,  and  then  questioned  him. 

"  He  informed  us  he  belonged  to  the  St.  Francis  tribe 
of  Indians,  and  said  he  had  come  down  here  for  a  hunt. 
He  told  us  his  family  were  with  him,  and  that  they 
were  camped  a  short  distance  below  us  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river. 

"  I  told  him  about  our  shooting  the  moose,  and  that 
we  were  going  to  build  a  raft  and  go  down  to  Lake 
Megantic.  I  asked  him  if  he  would  take  off  the  heads 


326  Wild  Woods  Life. 

and  skin  the  moose  for  us,  telling  him  that  if  he  would 
we  would  give  him  the  meat. 

"  He  said  he  would  go  back  and  get  his  son,  a  young 
man,  to  come  and  help  him.  In  half  an  hour  they 
returned.  They  had  two  long  hunting-knives,  and 
taking  our  axe,  we  went  over  to  where  the  moose  lay, 
and  the  Indians  went  to  work. 

"  They  cleaned  the  horns  and  cut  off  the  heads,  took 
off  the  hides,  and  then  cut  up  the  meat,  and  we  carried 
about  twenty  pounds,  from  one  of  the  hind-quarters,  to 
camp. 

"  The  Indians  then  offered  to  help  us  build  the  raft, 
and  we  all  went  to  work,  and  by  noon  it  was  completed." 

"  How  large  was  it?"  asked  Adams. 

"  About  six  feet  wide  and  fifteen  feet  long.  The 
Indians  made  us  three  rough  paddles,  and  we  also 
procured  three  long  poles,  to  help  navigate  our  craft. 

"  When  everything  was  ready,  we  took  a  cold  lunch, 
and  at  one  o'clock  started  for  the  raft.  The  Indian  told 
us  that  he  was  going  to  come  and  camp  in  the  place  we 
had  left,  so  they  would  be  nearer  the  meat. 

"  We  earned  our  things  down  to  the  raft,  and,  placing 
them  in  the  centre  of  the  craft,  pushed  off,  and  started 
down-river.  The  Indian  had  told  us  it  was  good  water 
clear  to  the  lake,  so  we  had  no  fear  of  rapids. 

**  The  raft  was  made  of  two  tiers  of  logs,  one  over 
the  other,  and  stood  several  inches  out  of  the  water,  and 
bore  us  along  nicely. 

"  We  paddled  until  we  reached  the  lake,  and  then, 
finding  the  wind  was  fair,  —  it  blew  from  the  south,  — 
we  rigged  one  of  our  blankets  on  two  of  the  poles  for  a 
sail,  and  went  booming  down  the  lake  in  fine  style." 


Lake  Mcgantic.  327 


"  That  must  have  been  fun  ! "  remarked  Maynard. 

"It  was  better  than  paddling,  1  tell  you.  At  six 
o'clock  we  reached  the  outlet,  and,  landing,  went  up  to 
a  new  hotel,  kept  by  a  man  named  Bruce.  We  stopped 
there  overnight,  and  after  breakfast  Tuesday  morning 
concluded  it  was  about  time  for  us  to  be  getting  back  to 
camp,  more  especially  as  we  found  two  inches  of  snow 
on  the  ground." 

"We  had  three  here,"  observed  Claude. 

"  The  wind  was  not  fair  for  us  to  sail  up  the  lake, 
and  we  hired  two  men  and  a  bateau,  for  two  dollars,  to 
bring  us  back  to  the  head  of  the  lake. 

"In  talking  with  the  landlord  Tuesday  evening,  I 
found  that  we  could  send  our  moose  heads  and  skins 
out  to  Sherbrooke  from  there  ;  and  I  wrote  Norton  a 
letter,  telling  him  I  had  expressed  two  moose  heads  and 
skins  to  him,  and  to  fix  them  up,  and  send  them  to  me 
at  Boston,  by  express,  the  first  of  October. 

"  We  had  a  very  pleasant  sail  up  the  lake  ;  but,  instead 
of  entering  Arnold's  River  again,  the  men  landed  us  on 
the  lake  shore,  and  put  us  on  a  trail  that  they  told  us 
led  to  the  head-waters  of  Parmachenee. 

"  We  followed  it  until  noon,  when  we  ate  a  cold 
luncheon,  resting  half  an  hour,  then  pushed  on. 

"  The  walking  during  the  forenoon  was  horrible. 
The  bushes  and  trees,  loaded  with  snow,  wet  us  about 
through,  and  after  dinner,  before  we  had  been  an  hour 
on  the  road,  we  lost  the  trail." 

"  That  was  a  nice  pickle  to  be  in  !"  suggested  Phil. 

"  Yes,  very  pleasant.  We  blundered  around  for  a 
couple  of  hours,  without  having  any  idea  where  we 
were,  except  that  we  knew  we  were  on  this  side  of 


328  Wild  Woods  Life. 

the  boundary.  For  it  was  in  crossing  the  height  of 
land  that  we  lest  the  trail. 

"Finally,  Wingate  proposed  we  should  climb  a 
mountain  near  us,  and  see  if  we  could  observe  any- 
thing we  recognized  from  the  summit. 

"  I  thought  this  good  advice,  and  up  the  mountain 
we  went.  It  was  a  hard  climb.  When  we  reached 
the  summit  we  studied  the  landscape,  and  discovered 
a  small  sheet  of  water  that  we  concluded  was  Par- 
machenee  Lake. 

"  Taking  the  bearing  of  this  by  compass,  we  de- 
scended the  mountain,  and  after  an  hour's  walk, 
reached  a  stream  that  flowed  toward  the  lake. 

"  After  some  argument  we  concluded  it  must  be 
the  Ledge  Ridge  branch  of  the  Magalloway,  and 
to-day  we  found  we  were  right  in  our  supposition. 

"As  it  was  five  o'clock  when  we  reached  the 
stream,  we  thought  the  best  thing  we  could  do  was 
to  camp  for  the  night,  as  we  were  both  hungry  and 
tired. 

"  Wingate  and  I  started  a  fire  and  built  a  camp,  Le 
Roy  caught  two  dozen  small  trout  in  a  pool  on  the 
stream,  a  short  distance  below  us,  and  we  had  our 
supper  and  went  to  bed. 

"  This  morning  we  turned  out  at  six  o'clock  de- 
termined to  reach  you,  if  possible,  to-night;  as  we 
knew  you  would  begin  to  feel  anxious  about  us. 

"  The  river  furnished  us  with  some  more  trout,  and 
it  took  the  last  scrap  of  pork  we  had  to  fry  them  with. 

"  Believing  now  that  the  stream  we  were  on  was 
one  of  the  branches  of  the  Magalloway,  we  concluded 
the  best  thing  we  could  do  was  to  stick  to  it,  and 


A  Rough  Tramp.  329 

follow  it  until  we  came  out  to  some  spot  we  were 
familiar  with. 

"  Shouldering  our  packs  once  more,  we  took  up 
our  line  of  march.  It  was  very  rough  country  to 
travel  through.  Rocky,  and,  in  some  places,  huge 
ledges  walled  in  the  river,  and  we  went  around  them, 
rather  than  climb  over  them.  Close  to  the  stream  we 
often  encountered  alder-bushes,  so  thick  that  we  were 
forced  to  give  them  a  wide  berth  ;  but  we  never  lost 
sight  of  the  water,  except  for  a  few  moments  at  a 
time. 

"About  noon  we  reached  a  dam,  and  this  gave  us 
courage,  for  we  were  certain  now  that  we  were  on  the 
right  track. 

"At  half-past  twelve  we  reached  the  Forks,  and 
gave  a  cheer  as  we  recognized  the  place. 

"  Throwing  down  our  '  collateral,'  as  the  river 
drivers  call  their  baggage,  we  went  to  where  our  boat 
was  hid,  and  found  it  all  right,  also  the  oars  and  paddle. 

"  We  carried  the  boat  to  the  river,  and  placed  it  in 
the  water,  and  then  started  a  fire,  and  ate  what  we 
had  left,  for  our  dinner.  And  you  can  guess  it  was  a 
pretty  thin  meal. 

"About  half-past  one  we  embarked,  and  without 
anything  to  trouble  us,  came  down  the  river  all  right, 
and  here  we  are." 

"  And  glad  enough  we  were  to  see  you  ! "  returned 
Claude. 

"How  did  you  like  Lake  Megantic?"  Phil  asked. 

"  Not  very  well.  It  is  two  or  three  times  as  large 
as  Parmachenee,  but  not  near  as  pretty." 

"Is  there  a  steamboat  on  it?"     inquired  Maynard. 


330  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  No.  But  the  hotel  man  told  me  they  were  going 
to  build  one  this  winter." 

"  Is  there  any  fishing  in  the  lake?"  queried  Adams. 

"  The  landlord  said  it  contained  trout  and  bass.  But 
we  did  not  fish  it  any." 

'•  Do  you  know  what  time  it  is,  fellows?"  asked  Phil, 
hauling  out  his  watch. 

"  Bedtime,  I  guess,"  replied  Wingate. 

"  I  should  say  so,"  responded  Phil,  "  it's  twelve 
o'clock." 

The  boys  had  been  so  interested  in  St.  Clair's  story 
that  no  note  of  time  had  been  kept,  but  at  Phil's  an- 
nouncement they  promptly  adjourned  to  their  tent. 


Old  Friends.  331 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Moving  Down-river.  —  Rafting  the  Menagerie.  —  Camping  at  the 
Foot  of  the  Lake.  —  The  Pursued  and  Pursuers.  —  Fighting  the 
Hounds.  —  Lightfoot's  Death.  —  Removal  to  Forks  of  the 
Magalloway.  —  A  Fifty-Dollar  Bear.  —  Down  River  again.  — 
Upper  Metalluc  Pond.  —  Camping  Over-night.  —  Early  Risers.  — 
Good  Duck  Shooting. 

GOING  to  bed  at  midnight  does  not  tend  to  early- 
rising,  and  it  was  nine  o'clock  Thursday  morning, 
before  the  party  had  finished  bi'eakfast. 

"  I  think,"  said  Claude  as  they  arose  from  the  table, 
"  that  we  had  better  be  getting  down-river.  We  ought 
to  reach  home  by  the  second  or  third  of  October,  at  the 
farthest ;  and  as  we  do  not  care  to  hurry  any,  and  will 
want  to  stop  along  on  the  way,  that  we  had  better  leave 
here  to-morrow.  As  we  shall  have  to  lead  Nap  and 
Lightfoot  through  the  woods,  we  can't  go  a  great  way 
in  a  day." 

"  Suppose  we  leave  here  to-morrow  morning,  and 
go  down  as  far  as  Little  Boy's  Falls,  and  camp  there  to- 
morrow night.  Everything  will  have  to  be  carried 
around  there,  and  if  we  stop  there  to-morrow  night,  it 
will  save  one  loading  and  unloading  of  the  boats,"  re- 
marked Wingate. 

"  I  like  that  plan,"  observed  Moynard. 

While  they  were  talking,  Mr.  Parker  and  Russ  sud- 
denly made  their  appearance  from  the  woods  back  of 


332  Wild  Woods  Life. 

the  camp,  and  told  the  boys  that  they  were  on  their 
way  down  to  the  settlements,  and  if  they  had  any  mail 
to  send  out  they  would  take  it. 

The  boys  tried  to  coax  them  to  stop  and  have  some 
dinner,  but  Mr.  Parker  said  they  were  in  a  hurry,  and 
must  get  along.  Claude  and  Maynard  gave  them  their 
letters,  and  the  woodsmen,  bidding  them  take  care  of 
themselves,  headed  down-river. 

"How  are  you  going  to  cross  the  lake?"  Adams 
called  after  them. 

"  We've  a  canoe  hid  in  the  bushes  near  Little  Boy's 
Falls,  that  we  shall  launch,  as  soon  as  we  get  to  it," 
returned  Russ ;  and  a  moment  later  the  two  men  had 
disappeared  in  the  woods. 

The  rest  of  the  forenoon  was  spent  in  picking  up  and 
packing  as  far  as  possible. 

After  dinner  all  but  Maynard  and  Phil  went  over  to 
Rump  Pond  fishing,  and  returned  about  five  o'clock 
with  fifty  small  trout  and  the  boat. 

In  the  evening  around  the  camp-fire  Wingate  sug- 
gested that  they  should  build  a  raft  somewhere  below 
the  falls,  and  take  the  animals  across  the  lake  on  it, 
instead  of  making  the  tiresome  tramp  through  the 
woods. 

This  proposition  was  hailed  with  enthusiasm  by  the 
others,  and  it  was  unhesitatingly  decided  to  do  it. 

"  A  chromo  to  the  first  one  who  wakes  in  the  morn- 
ing," laughed  Claude,  as  the  party  rose  from  the  camp- 
fire. 

The  night  passed  quietly,  and  Phil,  much  to  his  own 
surprise,  was  the  first  one  to  wake.  He  looked  at  his 
watch,  and  found  it  was  only  five  o'clock,  but  knowing 


Down  the  River.  333 

it  would  take  a  couple  of  hours  to  pack  up  and  load 
the  boats  after  breakfast,  he  turned  out  and  dressed  ; 
then,  calling  Maynard  and  the  others,  went  out  and 
started  a  fire  in  the  stove. 

All  of  the  fellows  rose  promptly,  and  while  Maynard 
and  Phil  were  preparing  breakfast,  their  friends  struck 
both  of  the  tents,  and  packed  them  up. 

At  half-past  six  breakfast  was  ready,  and  at  seven  the 
boys  had  all  eaten,  and  were  busy  loading  the  boats. 
By  stowing  things  snug,  everything  was  loaded  into  the 
three  boats,  and  at  nine  the  little  flotilla  started  down- 
river, Claude,  St.  Clair,  and  VVingate  in  the  boats,  and 
the  other  members  of  the  party,  escorting  Nap  and 
Lightfoot,  by  land.  The  box  containing  Ben  Butler 
and  Daniel  Pratt  had  been  packed  in  the  "  Fairy,"  and 
the  eagles  did  not  have  to  work  their  passage. 

"  We  shall  reach  the  falls  first,  Maynard,"  cried 
Claude,  as  the  boats  left  the  landing,  "  and  will  get 
dinner." 

"All  right;  you  ought  to  get  there  an  hour  or  two 
before  we  do,  even  if  the  animals  don't  give  us  any 
trouble.  If  they  do,  no  knowing  when  you  will  see 
us." 

The  boats,  in  charge  of  their  three  owners,  made  the 
run  down-river  without  any  difficulty,  except  from  an 
occasional  piece  of  shallow  water.  But  such  slight 
obstacles  as  these  were  easily  surmounted,  and  at 
eleven  o'clock  the  boys  were  at  the  falls. 

They  unloaded  the  boats,  and  set  up  the  tents  a  couple 
of  rods  below,  then  started  a  fire,  and  made  prepara- 
tions for  dinner." 

"  The  venison  is  all  gone,"  said  Claude;  "we  shall 


334  Wild  Woods  Life. 

have  to  cook  some  trout,  and  have  some  canned-beef 
for  dinner. 

"  I  wish  we  had  about  fifty  pounds  of  that  moose- 
meat  here  that  we  gave  the  Indians,"  added  St.  Clair, 
who  was  assisting  him. 

"  Perhaps  we  can  scare  up  some  partridges  around 
here  somewhere  after  dinner,"  remarked  Wingate. 

"  I  hope  we  can,"  returned  Claude  ;  "  for  there  is 
nothing  suits  my  taste  better  than  a  nice  plump 
partridge." 

Maynard  and  his  party  arrived  at  half-past  twelve, 
not  having  had  any  difficulty  with  the  animals,  ex- 
cept in  getting  through  the  thick  growth  occasionally. 
They  were  tied  up  at  a  safe  distance  from  each  other, 
and  then  dinner  was  served. 

"  If  there  had  been  a  path  along  by  the  river,"  said 
Maynard,  "  I  would  have  mounted  Nap,  and  rode  him 
down  here." 

"  Perhaps  then  you  would  have  taken  another  bath," 
laughed  Phil. 

In  the  afternoon  Maynard  and  Phil  stopped  in  camp, 
but  the  rest  of  the  party  went  out  for  the  purpose  of 
making  additions  to  the  larder.  Claude,  St.  Clair,  and 
Adams  started  off  on  some  of  the  logging-roads,  to 
look  for  partridges,  and  Wingate  and  Le  Roy  tried 
their  luck  on  the  river  with  their  rods. 

During  the  afternoon  Phil  went  into  the  store-tent 
for  some  sugar,  and  caught  a  hedge-hog  stealing  their 
pork ;  he  ran  for  his  rifle,  and  shot  the  porcupine 
through  the  head,  killing  him  instantly.  Picking  him 
carefully  up  by  the  tail,  to  avoid  getting  the  quills  in  his 
hands,  he  carried  him  out,  and  showed  him  to  May- 


Phil  Shoots  a  Hedgehog,  335 

nard,    saying,    "  How    would    this    fellow    do    for    a 
roast?" 

"  I  don't  know  whether  they  are  good  to  eat  or  not ; 
but  it  would  be  quite  a  job  to  skin  him.  Pick  out  a 
few  of  his  quills  and  throw  him  into  the  river." 

"  What  do  you  want  of  the  quills?  " 

"  I  want  to  take  a  few  home  to  keep  in  a  cabinet  of 
curiosities  I  am  picking  up." 

"  Do  you  suppose,  Maynard,  that  these  porcupines 
can  shoot  their  quills  at  any  one  when  they  are  alive?  " 

"  Do  I?  Not  much.  Cuvier  and  other  French  natu- 
ralists used  to  say  so  ;  but  that  was  about  as  unreliable 
as  many  other  of  their  statements.  The  fact  that  the 
quills  come  out  so  easy  is  what  probably  gave  founda-. 
tior^for  the  shooting  story." 

"  Did  you  ever  catch  a  woodchuck,  Maynard?" 

"  No  ;  but  I  have  no  doubt  they  are  good  to  eat. 
They  live  on  vegetables  and  grasses,  and  become  as  fat 
as  pigs." 

"  Eveiything  is  ready  for  supper  but  cooking  what 
game  or  fish  the  boys  bring  in,"  said  Maynard,  "and 
now  let's  chop  some  wood  for  the  camp-fire  this  even- 
Ing." 

Getting  their  axes  the  boys  went  ofFtwo  or  three  rods 
from  where  the  tents  were  pitched,  and  began  cutting 
some  sticks  into  four-foot  lengths.  While  engaged  at 
this  a  small  white  animal,  not  larger  than  a  rat,  at- 
tracted their  attention.  Phil  saw  it  first,  I'unning  out  of 
the  end  of  a  hollow  log. 

"Look  at  that  little  rascal,  Maynard!"  he  cried, 
pointing  to  the  animal.  "What  is  it?  A  white 
rabbit?" 


336  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  No  ;  it's  a  weasel.     Isn't  he  pretty  ? " 

"Yes;  they  are  the  fellows  that  suck  eggs,  aint 
they?" 

"  Yes ;  and  kill  chickens,  too.  But  there  are  none 
for  them  to  meddle  with  up  here." 

"  See  how  spry  that  little  chap  is  !  No  wonder  they 
say,  '  You  can't  catch  a  weasel  asleep.' " 

When  the  boys  had  cut  up  and  carried  a  good  pile  of 
wood  to  camp  it  was  time  to  get  supper. 

Phil  started  to  call  the  fishermen,  but  met  them  before 
he  had  taken  a  dozen  steps. 

"  Have  you  had  any  luck?"  inquired  Phil.  "We 
want  some  trout  for  supper." 

"  We  have  forty-one,  all    dressed,"    said   Le    Roy. 

"  Good  boys  !  I  suppose  they  will  bear  rinsing  a 
little?" 

"  Did  you  ever  see  a  fish  that  wouldn't?  "  queried 
Wingate.  "  It's  almost  impossible  to  get  all  the  slime 
off'  them." 

While  the  fish  were  being  cooked,  the  gunners 
returned  with  four  partridges,  and  Maynard  told  them 
he  would  cook  them  for  breakfast. 

"  I  should  like  to  take  a  trip  up  into  the  Moosehead 
Lake  region,  some  time,"  said  Claude,  as  the  boys  re- 
clined around  the  camp-fire  after  supper. 

"  Suppose  w*  go  up  there  another  year,"  proposed 
Maynard.  "  We  shall  have  done  this  country  pretty 
well  by  the  time  we  get  home." 

"  We  will  talk  it  over  this  winter,"  suggested  Win- 
gate. 

"  I  should  like  to  climb  Mt.  Katahdin,"  remarked  Le 
Roy.  "It  is  the  second  highest  mountain  in  New 


Building  a  Raft.  337 


England,  and,  according  to  'Farrar's  Guide  to  Northern 
Maine,'  it  is  much  harder  to  climb  than  Mount  Wash- 
ington." 

"  We'll  give  it  a  try,"  asserted  Claude,  "  if  we  go  up 
that  way  next  summer." 

"  We  must  try  and  find  some  good  cedar,  to-morrow, 
for  the  raft,"  said  Wingate.  "  That  is  what  we  built  ours 
with  over  on  Arnold's  River." 

"  I  noticed  some  a  little  way  this  side  of  the  outlet, 
when  we  went  down  to  Flint's  for  the  potatoes  the  other 
day,"  observed  Phil. 

"  Then  we  can  camp  in  the  vicinity  of  it,"  replied 
Claude. 

"  We  ought  to  put  in  two  or  three  days  at  Lincoln 
Pond  on  our  way  down-river,"  suggested  St.  Clair. 

"  We  will  if  we  have  time,"  replied  Claude. 

The  next  morning  the  party  left  the  falls  at  nine 
o'clock,  the  same  arrangements  being  made  as  on  the 
day  before. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  boats  reached  the  proposed 
camping-spot,  near  the  cedar  growth  that  Phil  had 
spoken  of,  and  the  boys  landed  and  unloaded  the 
things. 

By  the  time  the  tents  were  up  and  the  fires  under 
way,  the  "  travelling  menagerie,"  as  Phil  jocosely 
termed  it,  had  arrived. 

Dinner  over,  the  boys  commenced  an  attack  upon  the 
cedars,  and  by  five  o'clock  had  a  sufficient  number  cut 
down,  trimmed  up,  and  rolled  to  the  bank  of  the  river, 
for  the  construction  of  the  raft. 

The  work  was  then  abandoned  until  the  following 
day,  and  while  Maynard  and  Phil  proceeded  to  get 


338  Wild  Woods  Life. 

supper,  their  companions  cut  up  and  brought  in  a  large 
pile  of  fuel,  as  they  expected  to  stop  where  they  were 
until  Monday  morning. 

"  How  are  we  going  to  fasten  those  logs  together?" 
queried  Phil,  when  the  party  were  discussing  their 
future  movements  in  the  evening. 

"  If  we  only  had  an  auger,"  said  Adams,  "  it  would 
be  easy  enough." 

"  But  we  have  none,"  replied  Claude.  "  I  have 
been  thinking  that  matter  over.  We  shall  have  to 
make  a  double-decker.  The  first  layer  of  logs  we 
will  place  side  by  side,  then  place  two  poles  across 
them  long  enough  to  reach  from  one  side  to  the  other. 
Then  with  that  long  line  we  have  we  can  fasten  them 
together.  It  will  not  be  very  strong,  but  I  guess  it  will 
hold.  Then  we  can  roll  the  upper  tier  of  logs  on  the 
cross-sticks,  and  fasten  them  in  place  with  some  alder 
withes.  This  can  be  done  by  cutting  small  alder  limbs 
about  six  feet  long,  and  looping  them  about  the  lower 
and  upper  logs,  bringing  the  upper  ends  together,  and 
twisting  them,  and  then  sticking  the  ends  in  just  as  you 
have  seen  them  on  a  bale  of  hay.  I  don't  know  as  we 
can  build  a  very  secure  raft,  that  way,  but  I  guess  it 
will  answer  our  purpose.  If  any  of  you  can  show  me 
a  better  way,  I  am  open  to  conviction,  as  the  darkey 
said  when  he  stole  the  chickens." 

"  How  did  the  Indians  build  your  raft,  St.  Clair?" 
inquired  Phil. 

"They  had  an  auger,  and  made  it  similar  to  the 
head-works  the  lumbermen  use." 

"  I  don't  see  but  what  Claude's  plan  is  safe  enough," 
declared  Maynard. 


A  Rainy  Sunday.  339 

"It  is  thickening  up,"  remarked  Le  Roy,  while  the 
boys  went  to  bed.  "  I  should  not  wonder  if  it  stormed 
to-morrow." 

It  was  eight  o'clock  when  the  tired  sleepers  awoke 
Sunday  morning,  and  the  first  sound  they  heard  was 
the  rain  pouring  down  on  the  tent. 

"  It's  raining,"  cried  Phil,  with  a  sour  expression  on 
his  face,  as  he  listened  to  the  storm. 

"Let  it  come,"  remarked  Claude.  "We  can't  do 
anything  to  that  raft  now,  and  I  am  glad  of  it.  On 
principle  I  don't  believe  in  working  Sundays,  but  I 
looked  upon  that  job  as  a  matter  of  necessity.  But  the 
Lord  evidently  thinks  different,  and  we  shall  have  to 
lie  still." 

"  It  will  be  nice  getting  breakfast,"  growled  Phil,  as 
he  pulled  on  his  rubbei'-coat,  after  dressing. 

"  It  will  do  you  good,"  laughed  Adams. 

"  I  suppose  you  take  us  for  ducks,"  observed  May- 
nard,  as  he  began  dressing. 

"  No  ;  you  are  a  couple  of  old  drakes,"  spoke  up  Le 
Roy. 

Leaving  their  companions  to  arise  at  their  leisure, 
Maynard  and  Phil  went  out-doors,  and,  in  a  pouring 
rain,  began  preparations  for  breakfast.  Their  wood  was 
soaking  wet,  and  Phil  had  to  go  to  some  white  birches 
near  them  and  collect  a  quantity  of  bark,  before  they 
could  start  a  fire,  and  even  then  it  was  with  some  diffi- 
culty that  they  coaxed  the  fires  to  burn. 

By  the  time  the  breakfast  was  well  under  way  their 
companions  were  up ;  and  Maynard,  dripping  like  a 
mermaid,  went  in  to  set  the  table. 

"  Rain  any  where  you  come  from  ?  "  laughed  Claude. 


340  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  You  will  say  so  when  you  get  out-doors  ;  and  it's  an 
awful  cold  storm." 

"  We  can't  expect  fair  weather  all  the  time,"  sagely 
remarked  Wingate.  "  I  think  we  have  had  more  than 
our  share  of  it  on  this  trip  so  far." 

"  Right  you  are,"  replied  St.  Clair.  "  We  have  no 
reason  to  growl  at  the  weather." 

The  party  stuck  to  their  tent  the  most  of  the  day,  and 
in  the  evening,  although  the  rain  had  stopped  and  the 
indications  were  that  the  storm  was  over,  it  was  so 
cold,  wet,  and  cheerless  out-doors  that  the  camp-fire 
was  dispensed  with,  and  they  went  to  bed  early,  after 
appointing  Phil  as  cook  and  Wingate  as  his  as- 
sistant. 

Monday  morning  dawned  bright  and  pleasant,  and  as 
soon  as  breakfast  was  over  the  building  of  the  raft  began. 
The  boys  prosecuted  the  work  with  energy,  and  when, 
at  half-past  twelve,  Phil  called  them  to  dinner,  their 
rude  craft  was  completed.  As  soon  as  the  mid-day  meal 
was  over,  the  things  were  packed  up,  the  tents  were 
taken  down,  and  the  heavier  articles  loaded  upon  the 
raft.  Then  the  boats  were  loaded  ;  and  after  this,  Nap, 
by  a  piece  of  bread  and  molasses,  and  Lightfoot,  by 
means  of  a  handful  of  salt,  were  enticed  upon,  the  raft 
and  securely  tied,  while  the  tents  and  some  other  things 
were  piled  up  between  them.  Maynard  had  found  an  old 
board,  about  twelve  feet  long,  by  the  side  of  the  river,  — 
a  stray  waif  probably  from  some  lumberman's  camp, — 
and  out  of  this,  by  the  aid  of  an  axe,  he  had  fashioned 
a  rough  steering-oar.  As  he  had  more  control  over 
Nap  than  either  of  his  friends  he  had  agreed,  at  the 
request  of  Claude,  to  look  after  the  animals  and  steer 


A  Rainy  Sunday.  341 

the  raft,  his  friend  promising  to  keep  an  eye  on  the 
craft  and  promptly  render  him  any  assistance  needed. 

At  last  all  was  ready,  and  Maynard,  stepping  on  the 
raft,  pushed  it  away  from  the  bank  of  the  river.  Claude 
and  Phil,  in  the  "  Fairy,"  then  hitched  on  to  the  for- 
ward end;  the  "Water-Witch,"  with  Wingate  and 
Adams,  then  fastened  to  the  "Fairy;"  and  the  "Go- 
Ahead,"  with  St.  Clair  and  Le  Roy,  took  the  lead,  after 
being  secured  to  the  "  Water- Witch."  Thus  arranged 
the  boats  started  down-river,  towing  the  raft  behind 
them,  with  Maynard  at  the  helm. 

They  soon  reached  the  lake,  the  current  in  the  river 
helping  them  considerably  at  the  start. 

They  had  concluded  to  go  to  Bose  Buck  Cove,  at  the 
south-western  extremity  of  the  lake,  and  camp  a  day  or 
two,  and  make  the  ascent  of  Bose  Buck  mountain. 

The  raft  towed  much  easier  than  they  had  expected ; 
and,  without  any  accident  or  trouble  of  any  kind,  they 
reached  the  place  where  they  intended  to  camp  at  five 
o'clock,  and,  taking  the  raft  close  to  the  shore,  landed 
the  animals  and  secured  them.  Afterwards  the  boats 
were  unloaded,  the  tents  set  up,  and,  while  Phil  and 
Wingate  began  overhauling  the  stores  for  supper,  Claude 
started  the  fires,  and  the  other  members  took  a  look 
around  for  fuel,  and,  using  the  axes  and  hatchet,  by 
supper-time  had  a  goodly  pile  gathered. 

The  next  morning  all  of  the  party,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Phil  and  Wingate,  who  had  concluded  to  stay 
in  camp,  left  the  tent  at  eight  o'clock,  taking  a  lunch 
with  them,  to  climb  Bose  Buck. 

They  followed  a  path  that  led  from  near  their  en- 
campment, running  as  far  as  the  Little  Magalloway,  and 


342  Wild  Woods  Life. 

crossing  this,  took  a  straight  course  through  the  woods 
for  the  top  of  the  mountain.  After  leaving  the  path  at 
the  river,  the  route  was  rough  and  hard,  and  they  found 
the  climb  quite  difficult.  Reaching  the  summit  they 
rested  an  hour,  and  ate  their  lunch,  and  then  started 
homeward,  being  rather  disappointed  in  not  having 
obtained  better  views  from  the  mountain. 

Between  the  river  and  the  camp  they  came  across  a 
flock  of  seven  partridges,  and  secured  five.  Just  after 
they  had  shot  the  partridges,  they  heard  the  baying  of 
hounds,  and  Claude  said  that  somebody  must  be  out 
hunting  deer  with  dogs. 

During  the  forenoon  Wingate  and  Phil  went  over  to 
the  outlet  in  the  "  Water-Witch,"  and  spent  several 
hours  in  fishing,  returning  to  camp  at  one  o'clock  with 
a  good  string  of  trout.  After  eating  their  dinner,  they 
busied  themselves  about  the  camp  cutting  wood,  read- 
ing, and  fooling  with  Nap,  until  four  o'clock  came,  and 
they  began  to  think  of  supper.  While  Wingate  was 
building  a  fire  in  the  stove  they  heard  the  noise  of 
hounds  in  the  woods  west  of  them. 

"  That  sounds  like  dogs  yelping,"  said  Wingate. 

"Yes;  I  guess  there  are  some  fellows  out  with 
hounds  after  deer,"  returned  Phil. 

Soon  they  heard  the  hounds  again,  and  this  time  more 
distinct.  "  I'll  bet  the  deer  is  heading  for  the  lake," 
said  Wingate. 

"  I  hope  he  is,"  replied  Phil.  "  If  he  reaches  it  before 
the  dogs  do,  he  will  be  all  right,  for  if  the  hounds  fol- 
low him  into  the  water,  I  will  go  out  in  one  of  the 
boats  and  drive  them  back.  I  don't  believe  in  hunting 
deer  that  way." 


The  Hounds  Attack  the  Pets.  343 

"Nor  I  either.  It  don't  give  them  any  kind  of  a 
chance.  I'll  go  in  the  boat  with  you,  Phil,  if  the  deer 
and  the  dogs  take  to  the  water." 

A  few  moments  later  they  were  startled  by  hearing 
a  noise  close  at  hand,  and  the  next  moment  a  splendid 
buck,  accompanied  by  a  doe,  passed  through  the  camp 
on  the  gallop  and  dashed  into  the  water  near  them, 
heading  for  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake.  "  Great 
Scott !  there  were  two  of  them  ! "  shouted  Wingate  as 
the  boys  stood  looking  at  the  deer. 

"  And  they  have  run  them  nearly  to  death,  I  suppose," 
remarked  Phil. 

u  They  would  not  be  fit  to  eat  if  they  were  shot 
now,"  added  Wingate. 

The  boys  took  a  few  steps  nearer  the  water,  and 
watched  the  hunted  animals  as  they  swam  gallantly 
for  their  lives. 

Their  interest  in  them,  however,  ceased  very  sud- 
denly when  they  heard  the  bounds  giving  voice  close 
behind  them,  and  they  turned  around  just  in  time  to 
behold  two  dogs  emerge  from  the  woods,  and,  springing 
into  the  camp,  make  an  attack  on  Lightfoot  and  Nap. 

"Thunder  and  guns,  Phil!  those  hounds  are  after 
our  pets  !  I  suppose  they  think  they  are  the  deer  they 
have  been  chasing  ;"  and  rushing  into  camp  followed  by 
Phil,  they  shouted  to  the  dogs,  to  frighten  them  from 
their  attack. 

"  Let's  get  that  hound  away  from  Lightfoot  first  if  we 
can,"  cried  Wingate ;  "  Nap  will  take  care  of  himself." 

As  the  boys  reached  Lightfoot  they  found  the  hound 
was  hanging  to  his  throat,  and  a  stream  of  blood  was 
pouring  down  his  breast. 


344  ,   Wild  Woods  Life. 


Wingate  was  about  to  lay  hold  of  the  dog,  but  Phil 
interfered.  "  Don't  touch  him  now,  Charlie,  he  may 
bite  you  ;  and  as  we  are  strangers  to  him,  I  don't  believe 
we  can  make  him  loose  his  grip.  Our  rifles  are  what 
we  want." 

The  two  boys  darted  into  the  tent,  and  in  a  moment 
were  out  with  their  rifles  loaded.  Phil  rushed  up  to  the 
hound,  who  now  had  the  deer  down,  and  putting  the 
muzzle  of  his  rifle  to  one  of  the  hound's  ears,  sent  a  bul- 
let through  his  head,  killing  him  almost  instantly. 

Quick  as  the  boys  had  been,  however,  they  were  not 
able  to  save  their  pet,  for  the  hound  had  torn  his  throat 
all  open,  and  there  was  no  chance  whatever  for  him  to 
recover  from  his  wounds,  and  Wingate  reluctantly  shot 
him,  to  put  him  out  of  his  pain. 

The  boys  felt  bad -at  losing  the  deer,  for  all  of  the 
party  were  much  attached  to  it,  it  having  become  so 
tame  as  to  eat  out  of  their  hands,  and  to  come  up  to 
them  and  court  a  caress  when  they  were  near  enough. 

Turning  around  to  help  Nap,  they  found  that  he  did 
not  require  any  help,  as  the  hound  lay  dead  with  his 
bowels  ripped  open,  while  the  blood  was  running  from 
a  dozen  wounds  in  various  parts  of  his  body. 

The  boys  had  heard  the  barking  and  growling,  but 
had  not  witnessed  the  combat,  as  they  had  stood  back 
to  the  dog  and  the  bear,  while  trying  to  save  Lightfoot. 

Nap  stood  over  the  dead  hound  smelling  of  him  and 
nosing  him  over,  and  occasionally  lapping  some  of  the 
blood  that  streamed  from  the  dog's  wounds.  The  boys 
could  not  see  that  Nap  was  injured  any,  but  they  did 
not  like  the  idea  of  his  lapping  the  hound's  blood, 
thinking  it  might  make  him  ugly  to  them,  and  Wingate 


The  Deer  Hunters.  345 

caught  hold  of  the  hound's  tail,  and  dragged  him  out 
of  the  bear's  sight. 

Phil  took  the  other  hound  and  pulled  him  along  to 
his  mate,  and  then  the  cooks  proceeded  with  their  work, 
which  had  been  interrupted. 

Ten  minutes  afterwards  two  rough-looking  men,  who 
evidently  owned  the  hounds,  came  rapidly  out  of  the 
woods,  and,  entering  the  camp,  stood  still  when  they 
saw  Lightfoot  lying  on  the  ground.  They  were  armed 
with  double-barrel  shot-guns,  and  had  knives  in  sheaths 
belted  around  them. 

"  Here's  one  of  our  deer,"  cried  the  oldest  of  the  two 
men,  "  and  the  other  must  have  tooken  to  the  lake." 

"  You  have  made  quite  a  mistake,  gentlemen,"  de- 
clared Wingate,  as  the  two  boys  confronted  them  ;  "  that 
deer  belongs  to  us.  It  was  one  we  had  caught  alive 
and  tamed,  but  your  hound  killed  it,  and  I  had  rather 
given  twenty-five  dollars  than  had  him  do  it." 

"That's  too  thin  !  "  asserted  the  younger  of  the  two 
men.  "  I  don't  believe  you  could  catch  a  deer  alive 
anyway.  That  deer  belongs  to  us,  and  we're  goin'  to 
have  him.  Whar'd  the  other  one  go  to?  The  hounds 
were  after  two  of  'em." 

"This  is  not  your  deer,"  replied  Phil,  indignantly; 
"don't  you  see  the  rope  on  his  neck,  and  that  he  is 
still  fastened  to  the  tree,  as  he  was  while  alive?  The 
two  deer  your  hounds  were  chasing  swam  across  the 
lake." 

At  this  announcement  the  two  men  turned  to  look 
out  on  the  lake,  and  espied  Nap  chained  to  a  tree. 

"  Thunder,  Bill !  There's  a  bear !  "  and  the  men 
looked  at  their  guns. 


346  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  He  will  not  hurt  you,  if  you  keep  away  from  him," 
said  VVingate  ;  "  we  are  taming  him. 

"Are  you  fellows  in  the  menagerie  business?" 
sneeringly  asked  the  man  who  had  spoken  of  the  bear. 

"No,  we  are  not,"  answered  Phil,  sharply. 

"  Whar'  did  the  hounds  go?"  asked  the  man  called 
Bill. 

u  They  are  about  here  somewhere,"  answered  Wingate, 
cautiously,  with  a  warning  glance  at  Phil. 

Just  then,  much  to  the  relief  of  Wingate  and  Phil, 
their  friends  returned  from  the  mountain. 

The  boys  were  astounded  when  they  saw  the  deer 
lying  dead. 

"  Who  killed  Lightfoot?"  shouted  Adams,  savagely, 
as  he  bent  over  the  deer. 

Wingate  began  to  narrate  the  facts  in  the  case,  but 
before  he  had  spoken  a  dozen  words  the  hunters,  who 
had  found  their  hounds,  rushed  up  to  the  boys,  but  mod- 
erated their  pace  somewhat  when  they  found  what  an 
addition  had  been  made  to  the  party. 

"Who  killed  them  ar  dogs?"  inquired  the  older, 
angrily. 

"  The  bear  killed  one,  and  I  shot  the  other,"  returned 
Phil,  coolly,  who,  knowing  that  his  party  were  more 
than  a  match  for  the  two  men,  thought  it  as  well  to  be 
explicit. 

"  Yer  did?  Wall,  you'll  have  ter  pay  for  them 
hounds,  if  there's  any  law  in  the  State,"  growled  the 
younger  of  the  men.  "  What  did  yer  shoot  him  fur?" 

"  Because  he  killed  our  tame  deer." 

"  If  I  wei'e  you,"  said  Claude,  "  I  would  not  say  much 
about  law.  I  suppose  you  know  it  is  against  the  law  to 


A   Controversy  Settled.  347 

hunt  deer  with  dogs,  and  you  have  already  laid  yourself 
liable  to  arrest,  and  here  are  plenty  of  witnesses  to 
convict  you  both.  But  we  have  no  intention  of 
doing  it ;  the  whole  tiling  is  an  accident,  in  one  sense  of 
the  word,  and  we  feel  as  bad  about  our  deer  as  you  do 
your  dogs.  We  intended  to  take  him  home  with  us  to 
Boston." 

"  Wall,  I  don't  see  as  we  can  make  anything  out  of 
this  crowd,"  remarked  the  older  of  the  men  to  his  com- 
panion. "  Let's  put  for  camp,"  and  the  strangers,  with 
a  parting  scowl  at  the  boys,  started  off. 

"Why  don't  you  bury  the  hounds  before  you  go?" 
cried  Maynard. 

"Bury  them  yourself,  if  you  want  ter  ;  if  you  don't, 
you  can  eat  them.  They'll  make  good  sassingers," 
replied  the  younger  of  the  fellows,  with  a  coarse  laugh, 
as  the  men  moved  rapidly  away. 

After  their  disagreeable  visitors  were  out  of  sight, 
the  boys  had  their  supper,  and  afterwards  went  down 
to  the  shore  of  the  lake,  scooped  a  deep  hole  in  the  sand, 
and  tumbled  the  bodies  of  the  two  dogs  into  it  and 
covered  them  up. 

Then  they  took  the  head  and  skin  off  of  Lightfoot, 
and  dressed  him,  for  the  buck  was  fat  and  in  fine  order. 

Wednesday  morning,  after  breakfast,  they  packed  up 
again,  and  getting  Nap  aboard  the  raft,  towed  it  over  to 
the  outlet,  and  pitched  their  tents,  intending  to  stop 
here  until  the  next  day. 

In  the  afternoon,  Claude  and  Maynard  went  over  to 
Flint's,  and  finding  him  at  home,  asked  him  if  he 
thought  they  could  run  their  boats  down  from  the 
lake  to  the  Forks  of  the  Magalloway. 


348  Wild  Woods  Life, 

He  told  them  that  there  would  be  no  danger  if  they 
were  careful,  as  the  river  was  higher  than  usual  at  that 
season  of  the  year,  and  advised  them  to  start  from  below 
the  dam. 

Claude  told  him  about  the  death  of  the  hounds,  and 
Flint  seemed  highly  amused  at  the  way  Nap  had  dis- 
posed of  the  one  that  had  attacked  him.  He  said  the 
men  were  probably  from  Colebi'ook,  and  he  advised 
the  boys  not  to  leave  their  camp  alone  until  they  left 
the  lake,  as  the  men  might  visit  it  in  their  absence  and 
play  some  mean  trick  upon  them. 

The  boys  thought  this  good  advice  to  follow,  as  they 
considered  the  two  men  capable  of  committing  any  ras- 
cally act  that  came  into  their  heads. 

"  This  is  our  last  night  at  Parmachenee,"  remarked 
Claude,  as  the  boys  gathered  around  their  camp-fire  in 
the  evening. 

"  For  this  season,"  echoed  Maynard. 

"  But  I  hope  we  shall  come  up  here  again  some  sum- 
mer," declared  Phil.  "  We  have  had  a  splendid 
time." 

"  That  is  so,"  added  Wingate,  "  and  it's  a  charming 
little  lake.  In  fact,  the  whole  country  is  pretty." 

As  the  boys  are  on  the  point  of  leaving  Parmachenee 
Lake,  we  would  say  that,  while  this  sheet  of  water  is 
not  as  large  as  several  others  in  the  Androscoggin  sys- 
tem, it  is  the  gem  of  them  all,  so  far  as  beauty  is  con- 
cerned, lying,  as  it  does,  in  a  dense  wilderness,  sur- 
rounded by  lofty  mountains,  and  offers  unequalled 
facilities  to  campers-out,  the  fishing  and  hunting  in 
the  vicinity  being  equal  to  that  in  any  part  of  the 
State  of  Maine,  which,  up  to  the  present  time,  is  more 


A  Queer  Steed.  349 

than  half  an  unbroken  forest.  Parties  who  think  of  vis- 
iting this  section  of  Maine  will  find  in  "  Farrar's  An- 
droscoggin  Lakes  Illustrated,"  all  the  information 
necessary  to  enable  them  to  make  a  pleasant  and  suc- 
cessful trip. 

After  breakfast,  Thursday  morning,  the  boys  prepared 
for  their  removal  to  the  Forks,  and  when  all  was 
ready,  the  party,  with  the  exception  of  Maynard  and 
Wingate,  started  with  the  boats,  while  the  other  two 
boys  led  Nap  across  the  carry,  the  road  ending  at 
the  Forks. 

The  bear  was  in  good-humor,  and,  after  feeding  him, 
Maynard  mounted  upon  his  back  and  rode,  Wingate 
leading  the  animal  along  by  the  chain.  The  carry  was 
four  miles  long,  and  when  Maynard  had  ridden  half 
the  distance  he  dismounted  and  Wingate  took  his  place. 

When  they  reached  Flint's  Camp  several  gentlemen 
who  were  stopping  there  came  out  to  look  at  the  bear, 
accompanied  by  Spoff,  and  they  all  laughed  heartily  at 
the  queer  steed  Wingate  rode. 

"  Is  he  a  trotter  or  a  pacer?"  asked  one  of  the  gentle- 
men, smiling. 

"  I  don't  care  about  his  doing  any  trotting  when  I'm 
on  his  back,"  replied  Wingate. 

"  How  long  have  you  had  him  ?  "  asked  another  of  the 
party. 

"  About  a  month,"  replied  Maynard. 

"  Will  he  do  any  tricks?"  inquired  Spoff. 

"  Get  me  a  piece  of  bread  and  molasses,  and  I'll 
show  you,"  returned  Maynard.  "  Be  sure  and  put 
plenty  of  molasses  on  it." 

Spoff  obtained  the  bread,  and  Wingate,  dismounting, 


350  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Maynard  made  Nap  set  up,  and  placed  the  bread  on  his 
nose. 

"  Now,"  said  the  bear's  instructor,  "  ready,  aim, 
fire  !"  and  at  the  word  "fire"  Nap  tossed  the  bread 
into  the  air  and  caught  it  handsomely  in  his  mouth  as 
it  came  down. 

"  He's  quite  a  cuss!"  said  SpofF,  and  the  audience 
laughed  at  the  deft  manner  in  which  the  bear  had 
caught  the  sweet  morsel. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  him?"  asked  one 
of  the  party  as  Wingate  mounted  the  bear  again. 

"  Carry  him  home  with  us,"  replied  Maynard. 

Bidding  the  gentlemen  good-morning,  the  boys  went 
along,  and  reached  the  river  just  as  the  boats  arrived. 

"  Have  any  trouble  on  the  river,  Claude?" 

"  Not  a  bit,  Wingate.  The  water  was  rather  rough 
in  two  or  three  places,  but  we  came  along  nicely,  and 
did  not  hurt  the  boats  a  particle." 

"  Have  any  trouble  with  Nap?'  inquired  Phil. 

"  No,  none  at  all,"  laughed  Maynard, "and  we  made 
him  perform  to  an  admiring  audience  at  Flint's  Camp." 

"  Perform  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  he  did  the  great  bread-tossing  act !  "  and  again 
Maynard  laughed. 

As  the  party  only  intended  to  stop  one  night  at  the 
Forks,  they  camped  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  In 
the  afternoon  they  all  went  to  look  at  a  beaver  dam^ 
about  two  miles  distant,  that  Mr.  Flint  had  told  them 
of,  with  the  exception  of  Claude  and  Phil,  who  had 
visited  one  over  to  Second  Lake.  They  not  feeling 
like  fishing,  walked  over  to  Flint's,  and  spent  the  after- 
noon at  his  camp. 


A  Surprising  Offer. 


The  boys  all  appeared  at  the  supper  table,  and 
Claude  asked  them  if  they  found  the  beaver  dam. 

Wingate  told  him  that  they  had,  and  that  they  all 
thought  it  was  worth  going  to  see. 

"  Did  you  see  any  beavers?"  inquired  Phil. 

"  Nary  a  beaver,"  answered  Le  Roy. 

"  In  talking  with  Flint  this  afternoon,"  said  Claude, 
"  he  told  me  that  there  were  two  trails  to  Lincoln  Pond  : 
one  starts  from  just  below  the  Big  Rips  on  the  river, 
and  strikes  the  pond  at  the  upper  end,  and  the  other 
leaves  the  pond  on  the  west  side,  and  runs  to  the  upper 
Metalluc  Pond,  near  the  east  side  of  the  river.  The 
last  trail  is  a  good  deal  the  shortest,  and  I  thought  we 
could  visit  the  pond  by  one  trail  and  come  back  to 
the  river  by  the  other." 

"  But  we  shall  lose  eight  or  ten  miles  of  the  river 
that  way  ;  and,  as  the  scenery  is  very  fine,  I  don't  like  to 
do  it,"  replied  Maynard. 

After  a  debate  on  the  matter,  the  boys  decided  to  go 
down  the  river  in  their  boats  to  the  upper  Metalluc 
Pond,  and  cross  to  Lincoln  Pond  from  there. 

While  they  were  eating  breakfast  the  next  morning 
they  were  surprised  by  a  visit  from  one  of  the  gentle- 
men who  were  stopping  at  Flint's  Camp. 

Claude  asked  him  if  he  had  been  to  breakfast,  and, 
upon  learning  that  he  had  not,  invited  him  to  take  a 
seat  with  them,  and  the  gentleman  accepted. 

During  the  course  of  the  meal  the  visitor  informed 
the  boys  that  he  had  taken  a  fancy  to  the  bear,  which 
he  had  seen  when  Maynard  and  Wingate  brought  him 
across  the  carry,  and  wanted  to  buy  him.  He  told 
them  that  he  was  stopping  up  in  the  woods  for  his 


352  Wild  Woods  Life. 

health,  and  intended  to  remain  until  the  first  of  No- 
vember, and,  as  the  time  hung  heavily  some  days,  he 
thought  he  could  amuse  himself  by  having  the  bear 
about  the  camp. 

At  first  the  boys  utterly  refused  to  entertain  the  proposi- 
tion, but  the  gentleman  was  persistent,  and  showed  them 
how  much  trouble  Nap  would  be  to  them,  more  espe- 
cially if  they  were  going  to  Lincoln  Pond,  which  he  had 
learned  was  their  next  camping-place  ;  said  he  would 
use  the  bear  kindly,  and  finally  offered  them  twenty- 
five  dollars  for  the  animal. 

The  opinion  of  the  party  now  became  divided,  and, 
seeing  this,  the  gentleman  increased  his  offer  until  he 
rose  to  fifty  dollars. 

The  last  bid  set  the  boys  to  arguing  the  case  lively, 
and  finally  the  gentleman  proposed  that  they  should 
take  a  vote  on  it,  and  this  they  did,  Claude,  Maynard, 
and  Wingate  voting  to  keep  the  bear,  and  their  four 
friends  to  sell  it. 

As  the  gentleman  was  afraid  he  would  have  trouble 
in  conducting  his  new  purchase  home  alone,  Maynard 
unchained  the  bear  and  led  him  over  to  Flint's. 

He  returned  with  the  fifty  dollars,  and  asked  his 
friends  what  he  should  do  with  it. 

"Keep  it  until  we  get  home,"  said  Claude,  "and 
then  we  can  decide." 

"  I  feel  as  if  it  was  blood-money,"  remarked  Maynard, 
looking  at  it  discontentedly. 

"Nonsense  !  "  declared  Adams. 

"  Put  it  in  your  pocket-book,"  continued  St.  Clair. 
"None  of  us  cared  particularly  for  the  money,  but  the 
gentleman  was  sick,  and  wanted  Nap  so  much  that  I 
did  not  have  a  heart  to  refuse  him." 


Another  Move,  355 


"  And  besides,"  added  Le  Roy,  "  it  is  getting  to  be 
too  much  like  work  calling  him  around  the  country. 
I  think  we  are  well  rid  of  him,  leaving  the  money  en- 
tirely out  of  the  question." 

Maynard  did  not  agree  with  them;  but, as  the  bear 
was  gone,  he  made  the  best  of  it.  Neither  Wingate  nor 
Claude  had  been  very  particular  about  keeping  the 
animal,  but  had  voted  against  selling  him  more  out  of 
regard  for  Maynard  than  for  any  especial  love  they  had 
entertained  for  Nap. 

The  things  were  now  packed  up,  and  the  boats 
loaded,  and  a  little  after  nine  the  flotilla  swung  out 
into  the  river.  They  soon  reached  the  Big  Rips,  and 
went  down  this  inclined  plane  like  a  shot,  then  over  the 
rapids  below,  reaching  "good  water"  without  any 
accident. 

The  current  along  that  part  of  the  river  they  were 
now  sailing  was  very  swift,  and  they  did  not  have  to 
exert  themselves  much  with  the  oars.  The  banks  of 
the  river  were  thickly  wooded,  and  the  foliage,  which 
had  begun  to  assume  its  brilliant  fall  colors,  attracted 
their  attention  from  its  beauty. 

Several  times,  as  they  rounded  some  of  the  curves  in 
the  river,  they  came  across  flocks  of  ducks  feeding;  but 
the  boats  were  loaded  so  deeply  they  thought  it  prudent 
to  make  no  attempts  at  shooting. 

Just  before  entering  the  meadows  they  were  excited  by 
seeing  some  large  animal,  which  they  took  to  be  a  cari-' 
bou,  wading  across  the  river. 

Phil,  whose  rifle  was  loaded,  gave  him  a  shot,  but 
the  caribou  disappeared  in  the  forest  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  apparently  unhurt. 


356  Wild  Woods  Life. 

At  one  o'clock  they  reached  the  entrance  to  the 
upper  Metalluc  Pond,  and  poling  their  boats  through 
the  narrow  outlet,  entered  the  pond,  and  landed  at  the 
northern  end  near  the  trail. 

Disembarking,  and  unloading  the  boats,  the  cooks 
proceeded  to  get  dinner,  while  the  other  members  of 
the  party  pitchdd  the  tents,  and  took  care  of  the  stores, 
and  the  other  articles. 

In  the  afternoon  Claude  and  Maynard  walked  over  to 
Lincoln  Pond  to  look  at  a  logging-camp  that  was  situ- 
ated at  the  upper  end,  and  see  if  it  would  do  for  them 
to  live  in  while  they  were  there,  as,  if  so,  it  would 
save  carrying  over  the  tents.  They  carried  the  "  Fairy  " 
with  them,  and  left  her  there.  They  found  the  camp 
in  good  condition,  — a  stove,  and  some  cooking  utensils 
in  it,  —  and  congratulated  themselves  on  being  able  to 
leave  quite  a  number  of  their  heaviest  things  at  Metal- 
luc Pond. 

On  their  return  the  boys  questioned  them  about  the 
place,  and  Claude  gave  them  all  the  information  he  had 
acquired. 

During  the  night  they  heard  ducks  quacking  in  the 
pond,  and  Claude  and  Phil  turning  out  early  the  next 
morning,  took  one  of  the  boats,  and  succeeded  in  shoot- 
ing fifteen,  and  getting  back  to  camp  with  them  before 
either  of  their  friends  were  up. 


Early  Birds.  357 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Early  Birds.  —  Fine  Duck-Shooting.  —  Moving.  —  The  Camp  at 
Lincoln  Pond.  —  A  Prolonged  Storm.  —  Housed-up.  —  Fair 
Weather. — Early  Fishing.  —  Splendid  Luck. — Three  and  Four 
Pounders.  —  A  Windy  Day.  —  A  Poor  Hunt.  —  Bears  as  Thieves.  — 
A  Logger's  Story  of  an  Inquisitive  Bear. 

IT  was  half-past  six  when  Claude  and  Phil  returned, 
and,  going  into  the  tent,  Claude  called  out,  — 

"  Wake  up  here,  you  sluggards !  and  see  what  Phil 
and  I  have  brought  you  for  dinner." 

The  boys  roused  up  at  his  voice,  and  gazed  at  the 
ducks  with  astonishment. 

"  '  The  early  bird  gets  the  worm,'  "  remarked  Claude, 
laughing,  as  his  companions  turned  out  and  dressed. 

"  You  did  well  —  for  you,"  said  Maynard,  as  he  exam- 
ined the  birds. 

Wingate  hurried  out  to  assist  Phil  about  the  break- 
fast, and  the  ducks  were  taken  care  of  by  Phil,  who  did 
not  intend  to  cook  any  of  them  until  dinner-time. 

During  the  forenoon  the  entire  party,  each  loaded 
with  all  he  could  carry,  made  a  trip  over  to  Lincoln 
Pond  and  back,  and  then  had  dinner.  After  the  meal 
was  over  they  took  down  the  tents,  and  carrying  them 
and  the  stove,  also  some  other  articles,  which  they 
would  not  need  until  their  return,  hid  them  in  the 
woods,  a  little  way  from  the  river,  completely  covering 
them  with  brush.  After  disposing  of  these  things, 


358  Wild  Woods  Life. 

they  took  what  was  left,  and  started  for  the  pond  once 
more. 

"  I  wish  we  had  let  these  eagles  go  with  the  bear," 
declared  Maynard,  as,  with  the  box  containing  the  birds 
on  his  shoulder,  he  tramped  along,  sweating  under  his 
load. 

"  I  will  change  with  you  when  you  get  tired,"  said 
Claude,  who  was  bending  under  a  load  of  supplies. 

"I  can  stand  it,  I  guess,"  replied  Maynard  ;  "and 
this  is  the  only  place  we  shall  have  to  carry  them." 

The  party  were  loaded  quite  heavily,  and  could  not 
make  very  rapid  progress,  and  it  was  five  o'clock  when 
they  reached  the  logging-camp. 

While  Phil  and  Wingate  prepared  supper  the  other 
members  of  the  party  put  the  camp  to  rights,  and  cut 
up  a  supply  of  fuel,  and  brought  it  in-doors. 

During  the  night  a  storm  began,  which  the  boys  con- 
cluded must  be  the  line-storm,  as  it  lasted,  with  but 
little  intermission,  until  Tuesday  night.  It  rained  hard 
most  of  the  time,  and  the  wind  blew  a  gale  from  the 
south. 

It  was  so  rough  on  the  pond  that  the  boys  could  not 
fish  with  any  comfort;  and  for  three  days,  while  the 
storm  lasted,  they  spent  the  most  of  the  time  in  camp, 
finding  it  more  comfortable  in  a  cold  storm  than  their 
tent  would  have  been. 

Phil's  week  of  cooking  ended  Sunday  night,  and 
Wingate  was  promoted  to  the  office  of  chief  cook,  with 
Le  Roy  for  an  assistant. 

"  I  hope  this  storm  will  clear  up  to-night,"  remarked 
Maynard,  as  they  sat  around  the  stove  Tuesday  even- 
ing ;  "  I  don't  like  being  housed  up  so  much  day-times." 


A  Fine  Fishing  Morning.  359 

"Nor  I  either,"  added  Claude;  "and  I  don't  like 
sitting  around  this  stove  evenings.  It  is  much  pleas- 
anter  having  a  large  fire  out-doors." 

"  Correct,"  returned  Maynard. 

"  There  ought  to  be  good  fishing  after  this  rough 
weather,"  said  Adams. 

"  And  I'll  bet  there  will  be,"  replied  Phil. 

Wednesday  morning  Adams  awoke  about  half-past 
four,  and,  running  to  the  door,  looked  out  and  found  the 
rain  had  stopped,  and  that  the  clouds,  which  were  al- 
ready running  from  the  north-west,  betokened  a  fair 
day. 

He  awoke  Phil,  and  hurriedly  dressing,  they  took 
their  fishing-tackle,  and  embarking  in  the  "  Fairy," 
pulled  across  to  apoint  on  the  eastern  shore,  and, 
anchoring,  began  to  cast  their  flies. 

They  had  not  long  to  wait  for  a  rise,  for  the  water 
seemed  alive  with  trout,  and  in  less  than  ten  minutes 
after  they  had  made  their  first  cast  each  one  had  landed 
a  trout,  weighing  about  two  pounds  apiece. 

From  where  they  were  fishing  they  could  command 
a  view  of  nearly  the  whole  pond,  it  being  only  two 
miles  long  by  nbout  a  mile  wide,  and,  when  they  had 
been  enjoying  the  sport  half  an  hour,  they  saw  some  of 
the  boys  take  the  other  two  boats  and  row  down  near 
the  outlet  and  begin  fishing  there. 

Besides  a  number  of  medium-sized  trout  they  took 
two  that  were  larger  than  anything  they  had  seen  on 
•  their  present  trip  ;  but,  not  having  scales  with  them, 
could  not  weigh  them  until  they  returned  to  camp. 

At  half-past  seven  Phil  noticed  a  white  speck  flutter- 
ing from  a  stick  near  the  shore  in  front  of  the  camp, 


360  Wild  Woods  Life. 

and  concluding  that  it  was  a  sign  that  breakfast  was 
ready,  they  reluctantly  pulled  up  their  anchor  and 
rowed  for  camp. 

The  fishing  was  as  good  as  when  they  began,  and 
Phil  wanted  to  stop  longer,  but  Adams,  who  was  hungry, 
thought  too  much  of  his  breakfast,  and  persuaded  Phil 
that  they  had  caught  all  the  trout  they  needed  at  once ; 
and  as  they  had  thirty,  I  think  he  was  right. 

The  first  thing  they  did  on  reaching  camp  was  to 
weigh  their  two  largest  trout,  and  Phil's  hauled  down 
four  pounds,  while  the  one  belonging  to  Adams  stopped 
at  three  and  one-half. 

"  By  Jove !  those  are  pretty  fish,"  said  Wingate,  as 
he  and  Le  Roy  watched  the  weighing. 

"They  are  beauties,"  added  Le  Roy,  "and  their 
size  would  not  disgrace  the  Richardson  Lakes.  I  had 
no  idea  there  were  such  large  trout  in  this  pond." 

"  '  They  are  few  and  far  between,  I  guess,"  observed 
Phil. 

While  they  were  talking  about  their  fish  the  other 
two  boats  came  in,  but  the  occupants  of  these  had  not 
done  so  well.  Claude,  who  had  been  in  the  "Water 
Witch  "  alone,  had  only  taken  six  fish,  the  largest  of 
which  weighed  two  pounds. 

Maynard  and  St.  Clair,  who  were  together,  had 
captured  fifteen  trout,  the  largest  weighing  a  pound  and 
three-quarters. 

As  it  was,  however,  the  five  boys  had  brought  in 
over  seventy  pounds  of  trout,  being,  with  their  other 
provisions,  all  they  would  need  for  several  days. 

The  rest  of  the  forenoon  the  party  stopped  around  the 
camp,  and  cut  up  a  lot  of  large  logs  for  an  out-door  fire. 


A  Poor  Day  for  Game.  361 

The  wind  blew  a  gale  all  day,  although  the  sun  shone 
bright  and  pleasant,  but  the  air  was  decidedly  cool. 

During  the  afternoon  the  boys,  with  the  exception  of 
the  cooks,  who  had  quite  a  job  before  them  to  dress  the 
morning's  supply  of  fish,  went  out  on  some  of  the 
logging  roads  in  the  vicinity  to  see  what  they  could 
shoot.  They  discovered  plenty  of  deer  sign,  but  the 
only  game  they  succeeded  in  bagging  was  two  par- 
tridges. 

By  evening  the  wind  had  gone  down,  and  a  large 
fire  was  built  out-doors  at  a  safe  distance  from  the 
camp. 

"  We  must  climb  Speckled  Mountain  before  we  go 
home,"  declared  Wingate,  as  they  reclined  around  the 
camp-fire,  enjoying  its  warmth  and  glow. 

"  That  is  on  the  road  to  Bethel,  I  believe,"  asserted 
Phil. 

"  Yes,'"  said  Claude.  "  It  forms  one  side  of  Grafton 
Notch,  and  is  just  opposite  of  Bald  Pate,  that  we  made 
the  ascent  of  from  Andover  two  years  ago. 

"  Suppose  it  will  be  as  hard  to  climb  as  Bald  Pate 
was?"  queried  Adams. 

"Harder,  I  think,"  answei'ed  Claude.  "It  is  a 
higher  mountain,  and  I  believe  there  is  no  path  to  the 
summit.  We  shall  have  to  pick  our  way  through  the 
woods  until  we  get  clear  of  the  forest." 

"  How  do  you  suppose  Nap  is  getting  along,  May- 
nard?  "  asked  Le  Roy. 

"All  right,  I  guess.  I  think  that  gentleman  will  be 
kind  to  him.  I  shouldn't  be  surprised,  however,  if  he 
gave  him  to  Flint  when  he  went  home." 

"  You  are  wrong,"  remarked  Claude.    "  The  gentle- 


362  Wild  Woods  Life. 

man  told  me  he  owned  a  large  place  in  New  York, 
just  out  of  the  city,  —  Yonkers,  I  think,  is  where  he 
lives,  —  and  that  he  should  take  Nap  home  with  him." 

"  He  better  not,"  said  Adams,  as  the  shadow  of  a 
smile  played  across  his  face,  "  Nap  will  be  Bruin  mis- 
chief around  the  house  if  he  does." 

!      "  One  dollar  fine  and  three  months  at  the  Island  for 
that,"  laughed  Claude. 

"  I  have  heard  bears  are  great  thieves  where  they 
have  a  chance,"  observed  St.  Clair. 

"  Can't  say  as  to  that,"  replied  Maynard. 

St.  Clair  was  right  in  his  statement,  as  all  woodsmen 
familiar  with  the  habits  of  bears  will  testify,  and  they 
frequently  annoy  the  inmates  of  logging  camps  very 
much  by  their  thievish  proclivities. 

Springer,  in  his  "Forest  Life  and  Forest  Trees," 
gives  a  good  illustration  of  a  bear's  curiosity,  and  also 
tells  of  the  fate  that  befell  the  marauder.  He  says : 
"  We  have  sometimes  been  diverted  as  well  as  annoyed 
by  their  thievish  tricks.  In  one  instance  we  were  fol- 
lowed several  days  by  one  of  them  on  our  passage  up 
river,  who  seemed  equally  bent  on  mischief  and  plunder. 
The  first  of  our  acquaintance  with  him  occurred  while 
encamped  at  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream,  whose  channel 
we  were  improving  by  the  removal  of  large  rocks  which 
obstructed  log-driving.  Our  camp  was  merely  tem- 
porary, so  that  all  our  goods  were  exposed.  While  we 
were  asleep  during  the  night  he  came  upon  the  prem- 
ises and  selected  from  the  baggage  a  bundle  containing 
all  the  winter  clothingof  one  of  the  men,  boots,  shaving- 
tools,  etc. 

"His  curiosity  was  too  great  to  allow  of  a  far  removal 


A   Thievish  Bear.  363 

of  the  pack  without  an  examination  of  its  contents,  and 
never  did  deputy  inspector  or  constable  perform  a  more 
thorough  search.  Duties  on  the  package  were  inad- 
missible ;  the  goods  were  esteemed  contraband,  and 
were  accordingly  confiscated.  The  wearing  apparel 
was  torn  into  shreds.  There  were  a  pair  of  stout  cow- 
hide boots,  of  which  he  tried  the  flavor ;  they  were 
chewed  up  and  spoiled.  The  razor  did  not  escape  his 
inquisitiveness.  Whether  he  attempted  to  shave  we  say 
not,  but  he  tested  its  palatableness  by  chewing  up  the 
handle. 

"  From  this  position  we  removed  a  few  miles  farther 
up  stream,  where  we  were  to  construct  a  dam,  the  ob- 
ject of  which  was  to  flow  the  lake,  to  obtain  a  good 
head  of  water  for  spring  driving.  This  job  being 
somewhat  lengthy  we  erected  a  more  permanent  camp 
for  our  convenience.  A  few  evenings  after  our  settle- 
ment at  this  point,  while  all  hands  were  in  camp,  we 
heard  some  one  moving  about  on  the  roof,  where  a  ten- 
gallon  keg  of  molasses  was  deposited.  At  first  it  was 
supposed  to  be  a  trick  by  some  one  of  the  crew ;  but, 
on  looking  round,  there  was  no  one  missing. 

"  Suspecting  with  more  certainty  the  character  of  our 
visitor,  we  seized  a  firebrand  or  two,  and  sallied  forth 
like  a  disturbed  garrison  of  ants,  when  we  discovei'ed 
that  we  were  minus  a  keg  of  molasses.  Following  in  the 
direction  of  the  retreating  thief,  we  found  the  keg  but  a 
few  rods  distant,  setting  on  one  end  with  the  other  torn 
out.  He  evidently  had  intended  a  feast,  but,  intimi- 
dated by  the  firebrands  and  the  hallooing,  he  had  re- 
treated precipitately  into  his  native  haunts  ;  but  only,  as 
it  would  seem,  to  plan  another  theft.  About  two  hours 


364  Wild  Woods  Life. 

afterward,  when  all  was  still,  a  noise  was  again  heard 
in  the  door-yard  similar  to  that  of  a  hog  rooting  among 
the  chips,  where  the  cook  had  thrown  his  potato-pear- 
ings.  Peering  through  the  crack  of  the  camp-door, 
sure  enough,  there  was  Bruin  again,  apparently  as 
much  at  home  as  a  house-dog. 

"  We  had  a  gun,  but  improvidently  had  left  our  am- 
munition at  another  place  of  deposit,  about  a  hundred 
yards  distant.  Resolved  upon  chastising  him  for  his 
insolence,  in  the  event  of  another  visit,  the  lantern  was 
lighted,  and  the  ammunition  soon  brought  to  camp. 

"  The  gun  was  now  charged  with  powder  and  two 
bullets.  We  waited  some  time  for  his  return,  first 
removing  a  strip  from  the  camp-door  for  a  port-hole. 
Hearing  nothing  of  him,  all  hands  turned  in  again. 
About  twelve  o'clock  at  night  he  made  us  his  third  visit 
in  the  door-yard,  as  before,  and  directly  in  front  of  the 
camp,  offering  a  most  inviting  shot.  Q-eeping  softly 
to  the  door,  and  passing  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  through 
the  prepared  aperture,  our- eye  glanced  along  the  barrel, 
thence  to  a  dark  object  not  thirty  feet  distant.  A  gentle 
but  nervous  pressure  upon  the  trigger,  a  flash,  a  sheet  of 
fire,  and  the  very  woods  shook  with  the  reverberating 
report,  which  sent  Bruin  away  upon  a  plunging  gallop. 
The  copious  effusion  of  warm  blood  which  spirted  on 
the  chips  was  evidence  that  the  leaden  messenger 
had  faithfully  done  its  duty.  A  portion  of  his  lights 
were  shot  away,  and  dropped  to  the  ground,  which 
convinced  us  that  he  was  mortally  wounded,  and  that 
it  would  not  be  possible  for  him  to  run  far.  Seizing  as 
many  firebrands  as  could  be  procured,  with  axes,  and 
the  gun  reloaded,  all  hands  dashed  into  the  forest  after 


Death  of  the  Thief.  365 

him,  half  naked,  just  as  they  had  risen  from  the  bed, 
leaping,  yelling,  and  swinging  firebrands,  like  so  many 
wild  spirits  from  the  region  of  fire. 

"Guided  in  the  pursuit  by  the  cracking  of  rotten 
limbs  and  the  rustling  of  leaves  as  he  heavily  plunged 
on,  we  pursued  him  through  a  dense  swamp.  From 
the  increased  distinctness  with  which  we  heard  his  step, 
it  was  evident  we  were  gaining  upon  him.  Soon  we 
heard  his  labored  breathing.  Just  before  we  overtook 
him  he  emerged  from  the  swamp,  and  with  much  exer- 
tion, ascended  a  slight  elevation,  covered  with  a  fine 
growth  of  canoe  birch,  where,  from  exhaustion  and  loss 
of  blood,  he  lay  down,  and  suffered  us  to  surround  him. 
The  inflammable  bark  of  the  birch  was  instantly  ig- 
nited all  round  us,  presenting  a  brilliant  and  wild  illu- 
mination, which  lent  its  influence  to  a  most  unbounded 
enthusiasm,  while  our  war-dance  was  performed 
around  the  captured  and  slain  marauder.  Taken  alto- 
gether, the  scene  presented  one  of  the  most  lively  collec- 
tions of  material  for  the  pencil  that  we  have  ever  contem- 
plated. There  were  uncommon  brilliancy,  life,  and 
animation  in  the  group.  After  despatching,  we  strung 
him  up  and  dressed  him  on  the  spot,  taking  only  one 
quarter  of  his  carcass,  with  the  hide,  back  to  camp. 

"A  portion  of  this  was  served  up  next  morning  for 
breakfast,  but  while  the  sinewy,  human-like  appearance 
of  the  foreleg  might  have  whetted  the  appetite  of  a 
cannibal,  a  contrary  influence  was  exerted  on  ours. 


366  Wild  Woods  Life. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  Deer-Hunt.  —  A  Ludicrous  Fright. —  A  Sociable  Bear. —  Trailing  a 
Caribou.  —  Peculiar  Pedestrianism. —  Successful  Shots. — The 
Caribou  Killed.  —  Aid  from  Camp.  —  Boat-racing  on  Lincoln 
Pond.  —  Formation  of  the  Lake  and  Forest  Club.  —  Peppering  a 
Loon.  —  Last  Night  in  Camp. 

"WHAT  are  you  going  to  do  to-day,  Claude?"  in- 
quired Maynard,  as  they  all  sat  around  the  breakfast 
table  Thursday  morning. 

"  I  don't  know.  What  do  you  say  to  going  out 
somewhere,  and  try  and  get  a  shot  at  a  deer?  Wingate 
says  there  is  only  meat  enough  for  dinner." 

"  I  would  like  to  go,  for  one." 

"  So  would  I,"  spoke  up  St.  Clair. 

"Any  more?"  inquired  Claude,  glancing  around  the 
table. 

"I  don't  care  to  go,"  remarked  Adams.  "I  noticed 
some  blueberries  near  here  yesterday,  and  the  cooks 
and  myself  are  going  after  some  as  soon  as  they  do  up 
their  work." 

"I  guess  I'll  stay  at  home,  also,"  said  Phil,  "and 
cruise  around  the  camp  a  little  ;  then  I  can  be  at  home 
to  dinner." 

As  soon  as  they  had  eaten  breakfast  Claude  and  his 
two  companions,  taking  their  guns  and  rifle,  with  plenty 
of  ammunition  and  a  lunch,  —  for  they  had  very  little 
expectation  of  being  back  to  camp  by  dinner-time, 


Trailing  a  Caribou.  367 

started  into  the  woods,  taking  a  circle  round  the  head 
of  the  pond,  and  then  bearing  away  from  it  in  an  east- 
erly direction. 

About  two  hours  after  they  had  left  camp  they  came 
upon  the  trail  of  some  large  animal ;  but  the  ground 
where  they  then  were  was  soft  and  swampy,  and  they 
could  not  tell  what  it  was ;  but  they  were  of  the  opinion 
that  it  was  either  a  moose,  caribou,  or  bear. 

They  followed  it  until  they  came  out  upon  dry  and 
firm  land,  and  then  concluded  that  it  was  a  caribou, 
as  a  careful  examination  of  the  footprints  showed  them 
to  be  very  much  like  oxen,  and  they  knew  it  was  highly 
improbable,  although  not  impossible,  that  an  ox  should 
be  roaming  at  large  through  the  forest. 

Having  made  up  their  minds  that  the  animal  they 
were  chasing  was  a  caribou,  they  determined  to  hunt  it 
down  if  possible,  as  the  entire  party  had  highly  relished 
the  meat  that  was  sent  them  by  Tom  Chester,  and  ever 
since  they  had  reached  the  woods  they  had  been  trying 
to  get  a  shot  at  one. 

"We  will  have  that  caribou,  fellows,"  cried  Claude, 
with  enthusiasm,  as  they  once  more  started  on  the 
trail,  "if  we  follow  him  clear  to  the  Cupsuptic 
River." 

"  My  gracious,  Claude  !  that  is  seven  or  eight  miles," 
declared  Maynard. 

"  What  of  that?  —  we  are  good  for  it,"  said  St.  Clair. 

"  But  it  is  just  as  far  back,"  suggested  Maynard. 

"  Well,  it  won't  kill  us,"  answered  Claude. 

"  I  can  stand  it  if  you  can,"  and  Maynard  made  no 
further  objections,  for  at  the  pace  they  were  travelling 
talking  became  very  tiresome. 


368  Wild  Woods  Life. 

About  half-past  eleven  they  reached  a  slight  hill,  the 
trail  leading  over  it.  At  the  top  their  direct  progress 
was  barred,  by  a  cluster  of  windfalls,  blown  over  and 
piled  in  every  direction,  the  work  of  the  late  storm, 
the  boys  judged  from  the  fresh  breaks  on  the  trees,  and 
the  rough  appearance  of  the  ground,  where  some  had 
been  uprooted. 

"  Great  Scott !  "  exclaimed  Maynard,  "  he  can't  have 
gone  over  this  pile  of  stuff!  "  and  he  looked  wonderingly 
at  his  companions,  for  the  trail  had  led  straight  toward 
the  centre  of  the  snarl  of  broken  and  uprooted  trees. 

At  this  point  the  boys  lost  the  trail,  and,  making  a 
long  circle  of  the  tangled  mass  before  them,  reached  the 
other  side,  and,  after  a  half-hour's  search,  discovered  the 
animal's  tracks  once  more. 

"Look  here,  fellows,  it's  past  twelve  o'clock,"  said 
Maynard,  consulting  his  watch.  "  Suppose  we  dispose 
of  our  luncheon  before  we  go  any  farther?  " 

"  We  may  as  well  eat  it  now  as  any  time,"  replied 
Claude,  and  sitting  down  on  an  old  fallen  pine,  covered 
with  moss,  that  had  lain  there  perhaps  for  more  years 
than  the  united  ages  of  the  boys,  proceeded  to  dispose 
of  what  Wingate  had  put  up  for  them. 

Judging  from  the  fresher  appearance  of  the  trail  that 
led  from  near  where  they  were  sitting  they  concluded 
that  their  game  was  not  very  far  in  advance  of  them, 
and  they  eagerly  discussed,  while  eating,  their  chances 
of  soon  sighting  the  caribou. 

They  were  talking  so  earnestly  that  they  did  not  hear 
the  light  step  made  by  a  bear,  which  had  come  from  the 
windfalls,  among  which  he  had  been  lying  ;  and  the  first 
they  knew  of  his  presence,  Maynard,  who  was  between 


A   Comical  Fright.  369 

his  two  friends,  felt  something  cold  and  soft  against  his 
cheek,  and,  turning,  rubbed  noses  with  the  bear. 

If  the  earth  had  opened  before  them  and  Mephis- 
topheles,  surrounded  by  fire  and  blue  smoke,  had 
appeared,  the  boys  would  not  have  been  any  more 
surprised. 

Never  did  electric  shock  start  a  person  any  quicker, 
than  Maynard  started  as  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  that 
black  head. 

With  his  eyes  almost  bursting  from  his  head  and  his 
hair  standing  on  end  he  gave  vent  to  a  shriek  that 
echoed  through  the  forest,  and  rushed  away  from  the 
log  upon  which  he  had  been  sitting. 

His  companions  turning  as  he  arose,  also  beheld 
Bruin,  and  the  suddenness  of  his  appearance,  added  to 
Maynard's  wild  screech,  was  too  much  even  for  Claude, 
who  prided  himself  on  his  bravery,  and  he  and  St. 
Clair  also  yelled  and  jumped,  frightening  the  bear  as 
badly  as  the  boys  themselves  had  been  frightened,  and 
the  animal  took  to  his  heels  and  disappeared  in  the 
woods  before  the  hunters  had  found  out  that  they  were 
more  frightened  than  hurt. 

The  whole  scene  was  ludicrous  beyond  expression, 
and  if  "  Puck  "  could  have  been  there  to  have  done 
justice  to  it  the  paper  containing  the  sketch  would 
have  run  through  forty  editions. 

"  Well,"  remarked  Maynard,  after  a  few  moments, 
drawing  a  long  breath,  and  smoothing  his  hair  down, 
*'  if  I  didn't  think  that  old  Cloven-foot  had  come  for  me 
then,  may  I  never  eat  another  meal." 

By  this  time  the  comical  sense  of  the  situation  had 
dawned  upon  Claude,  and  he  began  to  laugh.  He  was 


370  Wild  Woods  Life. 


soon  joined  by  his  two  friends,  and  they  laughed  until 
the  tears  fairly  ran  down  their  cheeks. 

Every  time  they  attempted  to  speak  a  spasm  of  laugh- 
ter would  seize  one  or  the  other,  and  they  would  break 
out  again  in  a  united  howl  that  made  the  woods  ring. 

"  Anyhow,"  remarked  St.  Clair,  after  half  an  hour's 
vent  had  somewhat  relieved  their  mirth,  "  we  are  even 
with  the  bear.  He  was  as  badly  frightened  as  we  were, 
and  I'll  bet  he  is  running  yet." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  that,"  returned  Claude,  "and 
now  we  must  push  on  after  the  caribou  if  we  intend  to 
come  up  with  him  to-day." 

"I  am  ready," observed  St.  Clair,  as  he  picked  up  his 
gun,  which,  with  the  others,  leaned  against  the  log  they 
had  been  sitting  on,  the  boys  in  their  scare  not  having 
touched  them. 

Claude  and  Maynard  took  their  weapons,  and  once 
more  the  three  boys  pushed  forward  on  the  trail. 

After  following  it  for  a  mile,  they  discovered  that  the 
sun,  which  had  been  at  their  back  after  first  leaving  the 
place  where  they  had  been  so  badly  frightened,  was 
now  in  their  faces,  and  the  boys  stopped  for  a  moment, 
while  Maynard  consulted  his  pocket-compass.  The 
dial  showed  they  were  travelling  west,  and  convinced 
them  beyond  question  that  the  game  had  made  a  turn, 
and  was  now  travelling  toward  the  pond. 

"  So  much  the  better,"  declared  Claude,  when  this 
point  had  been  decided,  "for  now  every  mile  we  travel 
brings  us  nearer  to  camp." 

"  I  don't  see  how  those  animals  can  get  through  some 
of  the  places  they  do,"  remarked  Maynard,  as  they 
travelled  onward. 


The  Game  in  Sight,  371 

"  They  just  lay  their  horns  back  on  their  shoulders, 
as  moose  do,-  I  expect,  and  push  through  by  main 
strength." 

The  trail  ran  nearly  due  west,  and  after  following  it 
in  this  direction  for  about  two  hours,  the  party  reached 
a  tract  of  land,  covered  with  loose  stones  and  immense 
boulders,  with  a  scant  growth  of  soft  wood. 

Many  of  the  large  rocks  were  covered  with  caribou 
moss,  and  they  soon  found  signs  that  the  animal  had 
been  lately  feeding. 

The  boys  now  began  to  grow  excited,  for  they  knew 
that  the  tract  of  land  on  which  they  were  travelling  ex- 
tended to  the  borders  of  the  pond,  and  they  expected 
to  see  the  caribou  at  any  moment. 

Up  to  this  time  they  had  been  walking  with  their 
pieces  unloaded  to  avoid  accident,  but  now  they  slipped 
in  the  cartridges,  and  putting  the  hammers  at  half-cock, 
moved  carefully  forward. 

Peering  keenly  at  each  stunted  tree,  and  watching 
sharply  each  moss-covered  boulder,  they  stole  silently 
along,  earnest  and  expectant. 

Just  as  they  came  to  a  spot  from  which  through  the 
thin  growth  they  could  discern  the  sparkling  waters  of 
the  pond,  Claude,  who  was  slightly  in  advance,  stopped 
suddenly,  and  raised  his  hand  with  a  warning  motion. 

"  What  is  it?"  whispered  his  friends,  eagerly. 

"  The  caribou !  Don't  you  see  him  feeding  on  the 
moss  on  that  leaning  spruce?  " 

"  He's  too  far  away  for  a  sure  shot,"  said  Maynard. 

"  Yes,  we  must  get  nearer  to  him." 

Dropping  on  their  hands  and  knees,  the  boys  crawled 
toward  the  unconscious  animal  as  stealthily  as  possible. 


372  Wild  Woods  Life. 

They  had  reached  a  point  where  they  thought  they 
might  risk  a  shot  successfully,  when  the  caribou  started 
along  toward  the  outlet  of  the  pond,  and  in  a  few 
seconds  had  increased  the  distance  between  himself  and 
his  pursuers  by  several  rods. 

"  Confound  him  !  "  whispered  Claude  ;  "  I  was  just 
going  to  fire.  We  shall  have  to  crawl  nearer." 

The  peculiar  locomotion  that  the  boys  were  now 
driven  to  was  anything  but  pleasant.  It  is  bad  enough 
to  crawl  on  your  hands  and  knees  where  the  ground  is 
smooth  and  level  and  free  from  obstructions,  but  when, 
as  was  the  case  with  our  hunting  party,  the  ground 
was  full  of  treacherous  holes,  many  of  them  being 
covered  with  bog  moss,  that  sank  a  foot  or  more  the 
moment  the  boys'  hands  or  knees  touched  it,  and  rocks 
of  all  sizes,  while  occasional  windfalls,  clumps  of  bushes, 
and  limbs,  added  to  the  difficulty  of  rapid  progress,  it  is 
decidedly  worse. 

"  He  has  stopped  again  !  "  softly  said  Maynard. 

"  I  hope  he  will  wait  long  enough  this  time  for  us  to 
tickle  his  ribs,"  remarked  St.  Clair ;  "this  kind  of 
travelling  may  suit  an  Indian,  but  it  never  was  intended 
for  a  white  man." 

Crawling  and  wiggling  along,  stopping  occasionally 
to  watch  the  animal,  and  keeping  as  still  as  mice, 
when  their  game  left  off  browsing,  they  once  more 
succeeded  in  getting  within  shooting  distance. 

"Aim  behind  his  fore-shoulder,  Frank,  and  I"  — 
said  Claude  ;  but  Frank  didn't  aim,  because  just  then 
the  caribou,  who  seemed  to  be  picking  out  dainties  in 
the  eating  line,  shambled  off  again. 

"  By  the  Pied  Piper  of  Hamlin  !"  exclaimed  Frank, 


Death  of  the  Caribou.  373 

impatiently,  "  are  we  to  chase  that  fellow  all  over  the 
country  on  our  hands  and  knees  ? " 

"  Have  patience,"  urged  Claude. 

"  I  have,"  whispered  Frank,  "and  v presently  I  shall 
have  two  holes  in  the  knees  of  my  breeches.  I  have  a 
great  mind  to  send  a  rifle-bullet  after  him." 

"  Don't  do  it !  "  entreated  St.  Clair. 

"  If  you  did  not  kill  him  or  wound  him  mortally  he 
would  escape  us,  for  our  guns  will  not  throw  that  dis- 
tance with  any  effect.  I  wish  we  had  all  taken  rifles." 

"So  do  I,"  added  Claude,  earnestly.  Crawling  a 
short  distance  further  they  reached  a  large  pine  stump, 
and  stopping  for  a  moment,  Claude  rose  up  behind  it, 
and  peered  around,  one  side  toward  the  caribou. 

"  He  has  just  reached  the  outlet,"  whispered  the 
leader,  as  he  dropped  down  again,  "and  will  probably 
drink  there.  I  hope  we  can  get  a  shot  at  him  before  he 
crosses  the  brook." 

"If  we  don't,"  returned  St.  Clair,  "we  shall  lose 
him,  for  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  am  going  to  cross  that  brook 
on  my  hands  and  knees." 

"You  can't  do  it,''  declared  Maynard,  as  they  crawled 
forward  again  ;  "  the  water  is  too  deep." 

Fortune  favored  them  this  time  as  the  cai'ibou  seemed 
in  no  hurry  to  cross  the  stream,  and,  worming  themselves 
along,  they  at  last  reached  a  place  from  which  they 
could  fire  with  some  degree  of  certainty. 

As  the  animal  stooped  to  drink,  his  right  side  was 
exposed  to  them,  and  they  gave  him  a  volley.  He 
jumped,  staggered,  and  fell  into  the  water,  and  was 
dead  when  the  boys  reached  him. 

Upon  examination  it  was  found  that  several  buck  shot 


374  Wild  Woods  Life. 

had  gone  into  his  neck,  and  others  into  his  hind  flank, 
while  Frank's  bullet  had  struck  him  at  the  upper  part  of 
the  foreleg,  and,  breaking  the  bone,  had  made  a  ragged 
wound,  in  itself  sufficient  to  have  killed  him. 

The  animal  was  in  good  condition,  and  must  have 
weighed  six  or  seven  hundred.  He  had  a  noble  set  of 
antlers,  and  the  boys  determined  to  save  them. 

It  took  their  united  strength  to  get  the  caribou  out  of 
the  water,  and  then  it  was  a  question  what  to  do  with 
him. 

Finally  Frank  offered  to  walk  to  camp,  about  two 
miles  distant,  and  come  back  with  some  help  in  two  of 
the  boats,  while  Claude  and  St.  Clair  skinned  the  ani- 
mal as  he  lay.  It  was  then  five  o'clock,  and  Frank 
promised  to  make  the  best  time  possible. 

As  soon  as  he  had  disappeared  the  boys  went  to  work, 
and  with  their  knives  succeeded  in  cutting  off  the  head, 
which  they  laid  carefully  to  one  side. 

Skinning  the  animal  they  found  to  be  a  slow  job  on 
account  of  his  weight,  but  they  finally  managed  it,  and 
then  waited  for  the  axe  Frank  was  to  bring  before  cut- 
ting the  carcass  up. 

Soon  after  six  they  descried  two  boats  leaving  the 
camp,  and  at  half-past  they  were  at  the  outlet,  bringing 
Phil,  Maynard,  Le  Roy,  and  Adams. 

"Give  us  your  axe,  Maynard,"  cried  Claude,  as  the 
boats  reached  the  shore,  "  and  I'll  soon  have  this  fellow 
in  quarters,  and  we  can  handle  the  meat  a  little  easier." 

After  finishing  their  work,  the  meat,  head,  and  hide, 
were  loaded  into  the  boats,  and  the  boys  rowed  to  camp. 
It  was  about  dark  when  they  arrived,  and  after  eight 
before  they  sat  down  to  supper. 


Birth  of  the  Lake  and  Forest  Club.        375 

Friday  was  cloudy  and  cold,  with  an  appearance  of 
snow.  The  boys  remained  in  camp  during  the  fore- 
noon, the  hunting  party,  especially,  being  tired  from 
their  tramp  of  the  day  before. 

About  ten  o'clock  the  boys  noticed  a  large  volume  of 
smoke  floating  over  the  pond  that  came  from  toward 
the  river,  and  concluded  that  there  must  be  a  fire  in  the 
woods  in  that  direction.  The  smoke  continued  all  day, 
but  towards  evening  was  not  so  heavy. 

As  the  party  sat  around  the  camp-fire  after  supper, 
Claude  made  a  proposition  that  they  should  form  a  club, 
and  call  it  the  "  Lake  and  Forest  Club,"  and  after  they 
returned  home  should  hire  a  suitable  room  and  hold  one 
meeting  per  week. 

The  boys  eagerly  listened  while  he  went  on  to  give 
them  his  ideas.  The  membership  fee  was  to  be  five 
dollars,  with  a  further  payment  of  fifty  cents  per  week 
from  each  member,  the  number  of  the  club  limited  to 
twenty-five  persons.  He  thought  that  with  such  a 
membership  as  that  a  suitable  number  could  be  in- 
duced each  summer  to  make  a  trip  to  the  woods,  one 
of  his  objects  being  to  keep  up  their  excursions  and  go 
somewhere  every  year. 

Their  club-room  was  to  be  plainly  but  comfortably 
furnished,  and  from  the  funds  of  the  club  a  complete 
library  of  books  on  hunting  and  fishing  was  to  be  pro- 
cured, and  such  additions  of  new  volumes  made  as  the 
members  might  vote  for.  When  he  had  finished  speaking 
j  Maynard  moved  that  Claude  be  made  president,  and 
the  motion  was  promptly  carried.  Afterward,  Maynard 
was  elected  vice-president,  Wingate,  recording  and  cor- 
responding secretary,  and  Adams,  treasurer.  Claude 


376  Wild  Woods  Life. 

and  Le  Roy  were  chosen  a  committee  to  hire  a  suitable 
room,  and  were  given  power  to  fit  it  up  on  their  arrival 
home.  Maynard  and  Adams  were  chosen  a  committee 
to  canvass  for  members,  and  St.  Clair  and  Wingate  a 
committee  to  pi'epare  a  constitution  and  by-laws  for 
the  regulation  of  the  club,  which  was  to  be  presented 
and  voted  upon  at  the  first  meeting  held  in  Boston,  such 
meeting  to  be  called  when  and  where  the  president  saw  fit. 

Phil  laughingly  told  them  that  he  would  join  the  club, 
although  he  would  not  be  able  to  be  present  at  many  of 
the  meetings. 

"Well,  Mr.  President,"  said  Adams,  addressing 
Claude  with  mock  gravity,  "  I  move  that  we  adjourn, 
for  I  am  going  to  bed." 

While  eating  breakfast  Saturday  morning  it  suddenly 
occurred  to  Claude  that  the  things  they  had  left  over  at 
Metalluc  Pond  might  have  been  burnt  by  the  fire  of 
the  day  before,  and  he  spoke  of  it. 

His  friends  as  well  as  himself  were  rather  troubled 
by  this  view  of  the  case,  and  the  idea,  having  entered 
their  minds,  gave  them  no  peace.  Soon  after  breakfast 
they  determined  to  satisfy  themselves  in  regard  to  their 
fears,  and  the  whole  party,  excepting  the  cooks,  took 
the  trail,  and  went  over  to  the  river. 

Before  they  reached  the  pond  their  worst  suspicions 
were  confirmed,  for  they  suddenly  emerged  from  green 
woods  into  brown  and  blackened  trees,  and  the  ground 
beneath  their  feet  was  covered  with  ashes  which  still 
sent  forth  smoke  and  heat. 

The  fire  had  changed  the  appearance  of  the  locality, 
and  it  was  some  time  before  they  found  where  they  had 
ca9hed  their  things.  When  they  did  they  found  every- 


A  Disastrous  Fire.  377 

thing  ruined.  The  tents,  table,  stools,  and  whatever 
ehe  would  burn  had  disappeared  in  smoke,  and  the  stove 
and  cooking  utensils  were  cracked,  broken,  or  spoiled. 

"  Guess  we  are  about  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  dol- 
lars out,"  remarked  Claude,  with  rather  a  wry  face,  as 
he  gazed  at  the  ruins  the  fire  had  left. 

"There    is  no    discount  on    that,"  added  Maynard. 

"  By  Jove  !  it's  an  expensive  fire  for  us." 

"  How  do  you  suppose  it  started?"  queried  Adams. 

"  Some  of  those  careless  countrymen  from  down 
river  have  camped  here,  and  probably  left  their  fire 
\vhen  they  went  away,"  asserted  Claude.  "  Half  of 
them  are  so  shiftless  that  they  would  think  nothing  of 
doing  it.  A  man  in  the  woods  always  wants  to  be 
careful  how  he  leaves  a  fire,  for  he  never  can  tell  what 
damage  it  will  do." 

"  This  will  upset  our  plans  a  little,"  said  Phil ;  "  we 
cannot  stay  here  to-morrow  night  without  a  tent  or 
cooking  utensils." 

"  You  are  right,"  remarked  Claude  ;  "we  shall  have 
to  spend  Sunday  where  we  ai'e,  and  turn  out  early 
Monday  morning  and  get  our  things  over  here  in  time 
to  get  down  to  Fred  Flint's  to  spend  the  night.  We 
can  go  down  to  his  camp,  at  the  head  of  Aziscohos 
Falls,  in  five  hours." 

"  We  can  bring  everything  over  in  three  trips,"  said 
Maynard. 

"  I  think  we  can  in  two,"  added  Le  Roy. 

"  It's  after  eleven  o'clock,"  remarked  Adams  ;  "  and 
it  will  not  do  us  any  good  to  stand  here  and  cry  over 
spilled  milk.  Come  on  fellows,  it  will  be  dinner-time 
before  we  get  back  to  camp." 


378  Wild  Woods  Life. 

The  cooks  were  astonished  and  vexed  at  the  news 
their  friends  brought ;  but  there  being  no  remedy  for  it, 
the  whole  party  made  up  their  minds  that  they  would 
not  worry  over  the  accident,  as  they  called  it,  although 
every  one  of  them  knew  that  they  had  lost  their  property 
through  the  carelessness  of  some  shiftless  natives. 

In  the  afternoon  they  had  two  boat-races  on  the 
pond,  it  being  the  last  week-day  they  would  spend 
there.  The  first  one  was  from  the  landing  in  front  of 
the  camp,  diagonally  across  the  pond  to  a  point  and 
back,  the  whole  distance  being  about  a  mile  and  a 
half,  as  near  as  the  boys  could  estimate  it. 

Each  fellow  was  to  row  over  the  course  alone,  having 
the  choice  of  either  of  the  three  boats,  and  those  on 
shore  were  to  time  the  rowel's. 

Claude,  Wingate,  and  St.  Clair  started  first,  each 
rowing  his  own  boat,  and  their  friends,  sitting  on  a  log 
outside  the  camp,  timed  them,  watches  in  hand. 

They  turned  the  point  on  the  opposite  shore  in  the 
following  order :  Wingate  ahead,  St.  Clair  second, 
and  Claude  last.  But  things  were  changed  on  the  re- 
turn, and  Claude  came  in  ahead  ;  time,  twenty  minutes  ; 
St.  Clair,  second  ;  time,  twenty-two  minutes  ;  Wingate, 
last ;  time,  twenty-four  minutes. 

Le  Roy,  Adams,  and  Phil  then  rowed  over  the 
course,  each  selecting  the  boat  he  liked  best,  and  came 
to  the  landing  in  the  following  order :  Le  Roy  ahead ; 
time,  twenty-two  minutes  and  a  half;  Adams,  second; 
time,  twenty-one  minutes ;  Phil,  last,  time,  twenty-five 
minutes. 

It  was  now  Maynard's  turn,  and  he  selected  the  "  Go- 
Ahead"  to  row  in.  He  was  one  of  the  best  oarsmen  in 


A  Boat-Race.  379 


the  party,  and  the  boys  felt  sure  that  he  would  make  as 
good,  or  even  a  better  record  than  Claude. 

He  leaped  into  the  boat  lightly,  and,  taking  the  oars, 
began  rowing  a  long,  regular  stroke,  that  apparently  re- 
quired little  exertion,  but  that  sent  the  boat  spinning 
handsomely  through  the  water. 

"  I  tell  you,  boys,"  laughed  Adams,  "Frank  is  going 
to  be  the  dark  horse.  He  will  beat  us  all." 

"  I  don't  believe  he  will  beat  Claude's  time  a  great 
deal,"  declared  Phil. 

"  He  will  not  be  far  behind  me,  I  can  assure  you," 
said  Claude.  "Frank  can  handle  the  sculls  about  as 
well  as  any  amateur  oarsman  I  ever  met." 

"  He  has  turned  the  point,"  cried  Wingate,  "  and 
has  been  just  eleven  minutes  and  a  half." 

"  But  he  is  doing  his  level  best,  now,"  remarked  Le 
Roy.  "  See  how  quickly  his  oars  flash  !  " 

Frank  knew  that  every  one  of  the  party  was  watching 
him,  and  was  determined  to  beat  Claude's  time  if  it  lay 
in  the  boat  and  himself  to  do  it.  He  took  it  moderately 
going  over,  but  on  his  return  he  warmed  up  to  the 
work,  and  every  stroke  he  pulled  was  pulled  to  win. 
When  half-way  back  to  the  landing  his  exertions  be- 
came tremendous,  and  he  rapidly  shortened  the  remain- 
ing gap,  reaching  the  landing  in  eighteen  minutes  and 
ten  seconds,  and  was  received  with  cheers  by  his 
friends. 

The  second  race  was  to  be  from  the  landing  to  the 
outlet  and  back,  a  distance  of  nearly  four  miles. 

Maynard,  having  made  the  best  time  in  the  single 
race,  was  unanimously  chosen  referee  and  time-keeper, 
and  declared  out  of  the  double  one. 


380  Wild  Woods  Life. 

The  crews  for  the  three  boats  were  selected  in  the 
following  manner :  The  three  fellows  with  the  best 
records  outside  of  Maynard's  had  choice  of  boats  and 
men.  This  gave  Claude  the  first  chance,  and  he  chose 
his  own  boat  to  row  in  and  Le  Roy  to  row  with  him. 
Adams,  who  had  the  next  choice,  took  Wingate  and  the 
"Water-Witch";  while  St.  Clair  had  his  own  boat, 
with  Phil  for  a  companion. 

The  boys  took  their  places  in  the  boats,  and  at  a  sig- 
nal from  Maynard  they  dashed  away  together.  There 
being  only  one  pair  of  oars  to  each  boat,  one  of  the 
crew  rowed  and  the  other  paddled,  and  when  they 
reached  the  turning-point,  the  outlet,  the  oarsman  and 
steersman  in  each  boat  changed  seats. 

Claude  and  Le  Roy  reached  the  outlet  first,  but,  in 
changing  seats,  clumsily  capsized  their  boat,  and  both 
cf  them  went  into  the  water,  which  was  about  four  feet 
deep.  They  did  not  mind  their  bad  luck,  but  righted 
their  boat,  and,  floating  her  to  shore,  emptied  the  water 
out  of  her,  and  took  their  places  just  as  the  other  boats 
swung  around  and  headed  up  the  pond,  their  occupants 
laughing  at  the  "  Fairy's"  mishap. 

"  Confound  them  !  they  have  the  lead  now,  Claude, 
and  are  laughing  at  us,  besides." 

"Let  them  laugh,  we  shall  gain  the  race  all  the  same. 
Take  the  oars  —  ready  —  now  off  we  go  !  "  and  Claude, 
with  a  stroke  of  the  paddle,  headed  the  boat  toward  the 
landing. 

"  I'll  sicken  them,"  said  Le  Roy,  as  he  bent  to  the 
oars,  and  drove  the  boat  ahead  at  a  pace  that  soon  en- 
abled them  to  slowly  crawl  up  to  the  other  boats,  and, 
when  about  half-way  to  camp,  pass  them. 


Chasing  a  Loon.  381 

"  They  can  laugh  now,  if  they  want  to,"  said  Claude. 

"  They  are  not  feeling  so  funny  as  they  were,"  puffed 
Le  Roy,  as  he  strained  his  muscles  to  widen  the  gap 
between  the  "  Fairy  "  and  her  pursuers. 

Each  boat's  crew  were  now  spurting ;  but,  although 
the  "Go-Ahead"  and  "  Water-Witch "  sometimes 
changed  places,  the  "Fairy"  continued  to  lead,  and 
came  in  ahead,  Maynard  declaring  her  the  winner  ;  time, 
fifty  minutes.  The  "Go-Ahead"  came  in  second; 
time,  fifty-five  minutes,  twenty  seconds,  and  the 
"  Water-Witch  "  wound  up  with  a  record  of  fifty-seven 
minutes. 

In  the  evening,  after  supper,  in  talking  over  the  prepa- 
rations for  removal  down  river,  it  was  decided  to 
carry  the  boats  across  to  the  river  Sunday  afternoon,  as 
that  would  enable  the  party  to  get  the  balance  of  their 
things  across  the  carry  in  two  trips. 

The  boys  arose  late  Sunday  forenoon,  and  it  was 
neai'ly  twelve  o'clock  when  dinner  was  over. 

About  one  o'clock  they  were  on  the  point  of  starting 
for  the  river,  when  the  cry  of  a  loon  was  heard  from  the 
pond,  and  the  boys  descried  him  out  on  the  water,  half- 
way to  the  outlet. 

"  I  want  that  loon  to  set  up,  and  I  am  going  to  have 
it!"  cried  Claude.  "Lend  me  your  rifle,  will  you, 
Wingate,  and  I'll  see  if  I  can't  get  him  ? " 

"  You  will  only  fool  away  an  hour  for  nothing,"  re- 
marked St.  Clair. 

"  Suppose  three  or  four  of  us  help  you,  Claude  ?  "pro- 
posed Maynard,  as  he  went  into  camp  and  brought  out 
his  rifle. 

"  All  right ;  all  I  want  is  the  loon.     I  don't  care  who 


382  Wild  Woods  Life. 

shoots  it.  Come  out  in  the  boat  with  me,  will  you 
Wingate  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

Claude  and  Wingate  started  in  the  "  Fairy, "  followed 
by  Maynard  and  Adams  in  the  "  Water- Witch,"  and 
Phil  and  St.  Clair  in  the  "  Go-Ahead."  Claude,  May- 
nard, and  Phil  were  to  do  the  shooting,  and  the  other 
three  boys  the  rowing. 

"  I  guess  I'll  watch  the  battle  from  the  window  of  the 
camp,"  said  Le  Roy,  as  the  boys  started.  "  I  don't 
care  to  get  a  stray  bullet  in  my  skin." 

"You  had  better  keep  under  cover,  if  Claude  is  going 
to  fire  many  times,"  asserted  Wingate,  mischievously, 
as  he  dipped  his  oars  in  the  water  and  sent  the  "  Fairy" 
speeding  towards  the  loon. 

When  the  boats  were  within  rifle-shot  the  oarsmen 
took  in  their  oars,  and,  going  to  the  stern  of  the  boats, 
plied  the  paddles,  the  riflemen  sitting  in  the  bow. 

As  the  boys  were  about  to  fire,  the  loon,  glancing 
in  their  direction,  went  down,  probably  thinking  he  had 
too  much  company. 

"  No  knowing  where  he  will  come  up,"  cried  Claude. 
"  Suppose  we  scatter  some.  I  will  stay  here,  and  you 
paddle  to  the  right,  Phil,  and  Adams  go  to  the  left." 

The  commander's  orders  were  obeyed,  and  in  about 
two  minutes  the  loon  rose  some  way  to  the  left  of 
Adams.  The  boys  were  on  the  lookout  for  him,  and 
three  rifle  bullets  sped  to  wards  him  ;  but  neither  did  any 
damage.  The  loon  hallooed  derisively,  and  the  boys 
loaded  and  fired  again.  This  time  two  bullets  struck 
within  a  couple  of  inches  of  his  head,  while  the  third 
went  into  the  water  just  behind  him.  Not  liking  the 


Le  Roy  takes  a  Shot  383 

singing  of  the  bullets  he  dove  again,  and  the  boats  were 
paddled  a  little  nearer  the  spot  where  he  was  last  seen. 

With  rifles  cocked  the  boys  sat  expectantly  awaiting 
his  reappearance.  In  a  short  time  he  came  up  within 
ten  feet  of  them ;  as  his  head  bobbed  above  water, 
and  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  boats,  he  gave  a  startled 
cry,  and  dove  as  quick  as  a  flash  of  lightning. 

He  had  come  up  so  near  them  as  to  astonish  them,  and 
he  was  out  of  sight  again  before  a  shot  was  fired. 

"  By  Jove  !  "  exclaimed  Maynard,  laughing,  "  he 
was  frightened  that  time.  Did  you  notice  what  a  funny 
noise  he  made  ?  " 

"  I  noticed  he  did  not  stop  long,"  remarked  Claude. 

"Didn't  his  old  head  go  under  water  quick?"  and 
Adams  laughed  as  he  gave  a  turner  two  to  his  paddle. 

It  was  nearly  three  minutes  this  time  before  the 
frightened  bird  appeared,  and  then  his  head  bobbed  up 
a  long  distance  oft'  between  them  and  the  camp. 

"  If  a  fellow  was  only  at  camp,  now,"  observed  Phil, 
"  he  could  get  a  good  shot  at  him." 

The  boats  were  turned  in  that  direction,  but,  before 
they  had  gone  fifty  feet,  Le  Roy,  stepped  from  the 
camp  with  his  rifle,  and  walked  to  the  edge  of  the  pond. 

"  Tom  is  going  to  fire  at  him,"  said  Maynard. 

"  I  hope  he  won't  shoot  any  of  us,"  declared  Phil. 

The  boys  saw  Le  Roy  drop  on  one  knee,  and  take 
aim.  A  second  later  a  report  echoed  across-  the  pond, 
and  the  loon  turned  over  on  his  back. 

"  Good  for  Tom  !  "  shouted  St.  Clair ;  "  he  has  fixed 
him." 

The  boats  were  now  rowed  to  the  dead  bird,  and 
Claude,  upon  inspection,  found  that  Le  Roy's  bullet 


384  Wild  Woods  Life. 

had  gone  through  the  neck  of  the  loon,  killing  him 
instantly . 

As  the  boys  approached  the  shore  Le  Roy  hailed 
them. 

"  If  there  are  any  more  loons  out  there  you  want  shot 
drive  them  in  here,  and  I  will  kill  them  for  you  !  "  and 
a  self-satisfied  smile  played  across  the  assistant  cook's 
face  as  he  stood  leaning  upon  his  rifle. 

"  That  was  a  good  shot,  Tom,  we  are  all  willing  to 
acknowledge,"  said  Claude  as  the  boats  grounded  on 
the  shore. 

"  Let  Le  Roy  take  the  loon  to  camp,  Claude,  and  we 
will  shoulder  these  boats,  and  get  them  across  the  carry. 
It  will  be  five  o'clock  before  we  can  get  back,  and  we 
shall  want  something  to  eat  by  that  time  ; "  and  May- 
nard,  picking  up  one  end  of  the  "  Water- Witch,"  mo- 
tioned to  Adams  to  lift  the  other. 

Shouldering  the  boats  the  boys  struck  into  the  cany 
path,  and  after  a  two  hours'  hard  tramp,  deposited  their 
burdens  among  a  thick  growth  of  alder-bushes  beside 
the  river. 

The  fire  was  about  extinguished  now,  and  they  con- 
sidered it  safe  to  leave  the  boats  where  they  had  placed 
them,  as  it  was  some  distance  away  from  the  burned 
place. 

"Next  Sunday  we  shall  be  at  home,"  remarked  St. 
Clair,  as  the  party  sat  at  the  dinner-table. 

"  Yes.  It  will  seem  odd  to  go  to  church  again," 
observed  Adams;  "  all  days  are  alike  up  here  in  the 
woods." 

"  More  so  than  they  should  be,"  said  Claude. 

"  This  is  our  last  camp-fire  for  this  year,"  asserted 


The  Last  Camp-fire.  387 

Maynard,  as  the  boys  gathered  out-doors  for  their 
regular  evening  chat. 

"  I  hope  we  shall  gather  around  a  great  many  more 
before  we  die,"  responded  Wingate. 

"  I  say  Amen  to  that,"  returned  Claude. 

As  it  was  the  intention  of  the  party  to  be  up  at  day- 
light the  next  morning,  if  any  could  wake,  they  retired 
early,  and  by  nine  o'clock  every  one  was  asleep,  and 
the  solemn  stillness  of  the  forest  encircled  the  lonely 
camp  and  its  occupants. 


388  Wild  Woods  Life. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

A  Noisy  Waking.  —  Good-by,  Lincoln  Pond.  —  Down  to  Flint's.  — 
The  Brown  Farm.  —  A  Surprise  Party.  —  Old  Friends.  —  A 
Charming  Re-union.  — The  Ride  on  the  Steamboat.  — The  Lake- 
side. —  A  Good  Hotel.  — Trading  in  a  Country  Store.  — A  Beau- 
tiful Drive.  —  Climbing  Speckled  Mountain.  —  The  View  from  the 
Summit. — Moose  Cave. — The  Jail. — Screw  Auger  Falls. — Arrival 
at  Bethel.  —  Homeward  Bound. 

WINGATE  awoke  Monday  morning  a  few  moments 
before  five,  and,  getting  up  carefully,  he  discovered  that 
the  rest  of  the  party  were  still  wrapped  in  slumber. 
He  dressed  quietly,  without  awakening  any  one,  and 
then,  taking  Claude's  gun,  stole  softly  to  the  door ; 
pointing  the  muzzle  outside,  he  discharged  both 
barrels  nearly  at  the  same  moment. 

The  noise  brought  the  sleepers  to  their  feet,  and,  with 
cries  of  alarm,  they  inquired  what  was  the  matter. 

"  Nothing.  I  was  only  calling  you  fellows  up,"  de- 
clared the  cook,  coolly,  as  he  proceeded  to  start  a  fire  in 
the  stove. 

"You  need  not  make  so  much  racket  about  it  the  next 
time,"  growled' Adams,  who  had  half  a  mind  to  lie 
down  again. 

"  The  sooner  we  dress  the  better,  boys,"  said  Claude, 
cheerfully  ;  "  we  can  pack  up  some  of  our  things  before 
we  eat." 

All  was  now  hurry  and  bustle,  every  one  being  busy 
until  six  o'clock,  when  they  sat  down  to  breakfast. 


At  Fred  Flint's.  389 


At  seven  all  of  the  party,  with  the  exception  of  the 
cooks,  crossed  the  carry  with  a  load,  leaving  the  things 
near  the  boats,  which  they  found  just  as  they  had  left 
them  the  day  before.  After  resting  fifteen  minutes  they 
returned  to  camp,  reaching  it  at  half-past  ten,  and  at 
eleven  they  had  dinner,  the  last  meal  they  would  eat  of 
their  own  preparing. 

By  one  o'clock  everything  was  ready  for  their  final 
trip,  and,  extinguishing  the  fire  in  the  stove  and 
fastening  the  door  of  the  camp,  they  picked  up  their 
baggage,  Claude  carrying  the  box  with  the  eagles, 
which  was  now  anything  but  a  light  load,  and  at  half- 
past  two  reached  the  river. 

A  half  hour  was  spent  in  loading  the  boats,  and  at 
three  o'clock  they  pushed  away  from  the  shore,  and 
headed  for  Aziscohos  Falls. 

Just  below  the  Narrows  they  passed  ,a  bateau  con- 
taining loggers,  there  being  ten  in  the  party,  who  were 
going  up  to  Parmachenee  Lake  to  make  some  repairs  on 
the  dam. 

The  boys  had  a  good  run  down  river,  and  at  half- 
past  seven,  somewhat  tired  and  very  hungry,  they 
landed  at  Fred  Flint's  Camp. 

Fred  heard  their  voices,  and  came  down  to  the  river 
to  meet  them. 

Claude  asked  him  if  he  could  give  them  some  supper, 
and  take  care  of  them  over  night,  and  he  replied  with  a 
laugh  "that  he  guessed  he  could  j"  and  after  helping 
them  unload  their  boats,  he  led  the  way  to  camp, 
and  requested  the  cook  to  get  their  supper  under  way 
as  soon  as  possible. 

While  supper  was  progressing,  the  boys,  assisted  by 


390  Wild  Woods  Life. 

Fred,  carried  all  their  baggage  and  what  stores  they  had 
left  up  to  the  camp.  The  boats  were  left  out-doors,  but 
everything  else  was  carried  into  the  house,  and  then  the 
party  washed  up  and  sat  down  to  rest.  At  half-past 
eight  the  cook  called  them  to  supper,  and  they  gathered 
around  a  well-supplied  table,  and,  as  Adams  said,  "  They 
proved  to  the  landlord's  satisfaction  that  they  were 
hungry." 

After  supper  Claude  asked  Mr.  Flint  if  he  knew 
when  the  steamer  would  be  at  Magalloway ;  and  Fred 
told  him  it  was  coming  up  the  next  day. 

"  Then  we  must  hit  it  without  fail,"  remarked 
Claude.  "  Have  you  team  enough  to  take  our  boats 
and  baggage  down  to  the  landing?" 

"  No,  I  haven't.  But  I  can  go  over  to  Clark's  early 
in  the  morning,  and  get  him  to  come  up  and  help  me." 

"  That  will  do,"  replied  Claude. 

The  boys  went  to  bed  early,  and,  as  Wingate  observed, 
"  it  seemed  odd  to  them  to  lie  in  a  bed  again."  They 
talked,  and  laughed,  and  joked  over  the  events  they  had 
passed  through  until  nearly  midnight,  and  then  fell 
asleep,  and  the  first  any  of  the  party  knew  was  Fred 
singing  out  to  them  the  next  morning  that  breakfast 
was  ready. 

"My  goodness!"  exclaimed  Adams,  "I  have  not 
slept  five  minutes  ! "  But  on  looking  at  his  watch,  he  was 
surprised  to  find  that  it  was  seven  o'clock. 

Fred  had  sent  one  of  his  hired  men  over  to  Clark's 
early  in  the  morning,  and  about  eight  o'clock  his 
neighbor  made  his  appearance  with  a  two -horse  team, 
on  which  the  boats  and  part  of  the  baggage  were  loaded, 
Fred  taking  the  remainder. 


The  Brown  Farm.  391 

As  the  carry  road  was  quite  rough,  the  boys  concluded 
to  walk  it,  the  distance  being  only  three  miles.  From 
the  upper  settlement  the  roadvwas  good,  and  from  there 
to  the  steamboat  landing  the  party  could  ride,  although 
the  boys  intended  when  they  reached  the  Brown  Farm 
to  stop  and  take  dinner. 

They  had  a  very  pleasant  ride  down  to  the  hotel,  the 
road  running  near  to  the  river,  and  following  the  nar- 
row valley  all  the  way.  They  arrived  at  the  house  at 
eleven  o'clock,  and  left  the  teams,  Fred  and  the  other 
driver  promising  to  unload  the  boats  carefully. 

The  landlord  was  glad  to  see  the  boys  again,  they 
having  been  there  two  years  before,  and,  sitting  down  on 
the  piazza,  they  indulged  in  a  pleasant  chat.  At  the 
expiration  of  half  an  hour  he  excused  himself,  and  went 
out  to  the  stable  to  harness  up  his  team,  and  drive  down 
and  meet  the  boat. 

"  Suppose  there  will  be  any  passengers  on  the 
steamer?"  remarked  Wingate,  after  the  landlord  had 
left  them. 

"It  is  rather  late  for  city  people  now,"  replied 
Claude,  "  unless  there  might  be  some  fellows  on  their 
way  up  river  hunting." 

"  I  don't  believe  my  folks  came  down  to  the  Lakes 
this  year,"  observed  Phil.  "If  they  had  I  should  have 
heard  from  them  up  here  somewhere." 

"Did  they  talk  very  strongly  of  coming?"  asked 
Claude. 

"  Yes.  When  I  left  home  they  told  me  they  should 
go  to  Mt.  Desert  through  August,  then  go  up  to  the 
mountains  and  spend  two  or  three  weeks,  and  be  over 
in  this  vicinity  the  last  of  September." 


392  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"  I  wish  they  had  come,"  responded  St.  Clair,  ear- 
nestly. 

"  Of  course  you  do  ! "  laughed  Claude,  in  an  exasper- 
ating way. 

About  half-past  twelve  the  teams  appeared  in  sight, 
and,  to  the  surprise  of  the  boys,  the  hotel  team  was 
loaded,  while  Flint's  carried  three  besides  the  driver. 
As  the  vehicles  swung  up  to  the  house  Phil  and  St. 
Clair  jumped  to  their  feet. 

"  By  gracious  !  "  cried  Phil ;  "  if  it  isn't  the  folks.  I 
wonder  where  they  have  come  from  ?  " 

"And  there's  Violet,  and  three  other  young  ladies," 
said  St.  Clair,  blushing  as  he  made  the  remark  ;  for 
his  friends  were  looking  at  him  with  a  mischievous 
smile  on  their  faces. 

The  hotel  team  reached  the  piazza  first,  and  Phil  and 
St.  Clair  were  beside  it  as  soon  as  it  had  stopped. 

"  How  do  you  do,  mother?  How  are  you,  Violet?" 
said  Phil,  as  he  helped  his  mother  from  the  wagon, 
while  St.  Clair,  bowing  to  Mrs.  De  Ruyter,  and  shak- 
ing hands  with  her,  then  spoke  to  Violet  and  assisted 
her  from  her  seat. 

"  Come,  make  yourselves  useful,  fellows  !  "  cried  Phil, 
as  he  helped  one  of  the  young  ladies  out,  and  Claude 
and  Maynard  took  care  of  the  other  two  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  carriage. 

Fred  now  drove  up,  and  Mr.  De  Ruyter,  descending 
from  the  buckboard,  shook  hands  with  Phil  and  his 
friends.  In  the  other  gentlemen  the  two  boys  recog- 
nized Mr.  Peyton  and  Mr.  Grayson,  who  had  been 
members  of  the  mountain  party  two  years  before. 

The  whole  company  entered  the  house,  and  then  Phil 


Old  Friends.  393 


introduced  his  friends  to  the  two  Miss  Gray  sons,  and 
Miss  Peyton,  whom  they  had  not  met  before.  As  soon  as 
the  ladies  were  ready,  the  dinner  was  served,  and  at  the 
table  Mr.  De  Rtiyter  informed  Phil  that  they  had  been 
stopping  at  the  new  hotel  in  Cambridge,  at  the  foot  of 
Lake  Umbagog,  for  a  week,  and  were  intending  to  return 
home  the  next  day.  The  pleasantness  of  the  morning 
had  tempted  them  to  take  a  sail  on  the  steamer,  and, 
although  they  expected  to  hear  from  the  boys,  they  had 
no  idea  of  meeting  them. 

"  I  am  glad  you  met  us,  father,"  cried  Phil.  "  Won't 
it  be  jolly?  We  can  all  go  home  together." 

They  had  a  merry  time  at  dinner,  and  Mrs.  De  Ruy- 
ter  said  she  could  scarcely  hear  herself  talk  there 
was  such  a  noise.  The  boys  related  some  of  their  ad- 
ventures to  the  no  small  amusement  of  the  party,  es- 
pecially the  incident  of  the  sociable  bear,  the  day  the 
boys  shot  the  caribou  at  Lincoln  Pond. 

It  is  hard  saying  how  long  the  party  would  have  re- 
mained at  the  table  had  not  Mr.  Lowe  come  in  and 
told  them  that  the  steamer  was  whistling  for  them,  it 
being  already  past  her  hour  of  sailing. 

This  announcement  hurried  them  up,  and,  getting 
ready,  they  took  seats  in  the  teams  and  were  driven  to 
the  boat-landing.  Here  Claude  settled  with  Mr.  Flint, 
and,  after  he  had  paid  him,  informed  him  that  if  he 
wanted  three  quarters  of  as  nice  caribou-meat  as  he  ever 
ate  in  his  life  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  go  up  to  the  camp 
at  Lincoln  Pond  and  get  it,  as  the  boys  had  been  obliged 
to  leave  it ;  and  he  promised  to  go  the  next  day. 

Bidding  Fred  good-by,  Claude  joined  his  friends  on 
the  steamer,  and  the  boat  a  moment  later  was  under- 


394  Wild  Woods  Life. 

way.  [The  scenery  from  here  to  the  foot  of  the  lake  is 
very  fine,  but  as  it  is  fully  described  in  "  Eastward 
Ho  !  "  the  first  volume  of  this  series,  we  will  say  noth- 
ing of  it  here.] 

The  party  had  a  very  nice  time  on  the  way  home- 
ward, and  they  saw  all  that  was  to  be  seen,  as  the  boat 
ran  over  her  whole  course,  making  the  customary  stops 
at  Errol  and  Sunday  Cove. 

The  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  cultivated  each 
others'  acquaintance  on  their  way  down,  leaving  the 
old  people  to  themselves. 

Phil  and  St.  Clair  told  the  girls  that  their  party  were 
going  to  climb  Speckled  Mountain  on  their  way  to 
Bethel ;  and  the  girls  thought  it  would  be  delightful,  and 
said  they  should  like  to  go  also. 

Claude  informed  them  that  there  was  no  path,  as 
there  was  to  Aziscohos,  and  that  it  would  be  too  hard 
a  tramp  for  them  ;  and  the  young  ladies  reluctantly  gave 
up  the  idea. 

At  six  o'clock  the  steamer  reached  the  wharf  at  Cam- 
bridge, and  the  party  adjourned  to  the  hotel.  After 
supper  they  sat  before  a  cheerful  open  wood-fire,  in 
the  office,  and  talked  over  arrangements  for  getting 
home. 

It  was  finally  decided  that  Mr.  De  Ruyter  and  his 
party  should  leave  for  Bethel  the  next  day,  and  await 
the  arrival  of  the  boys,  who  would  get  along  some  time 
Thursday,  and  that  Friday  morning  they  would  leave 
Bethel  for  home. 

"  Here  is  a  letter  for  you,  Mr.  Maynard,"  said  the 
landlord,  approaching  Maynard  after  supper. 

The  young  fellow  took  it,  and  noticed  that  it  had  a 


A  Letter  from  Robbins.  395 

Florida  post-mark.  "  Hurrah,  fellows  !  "  he  cried  ;  "  I 
have  a  letter  from  Robbins." 

"  Read  it  aloud,"  suggested  Claude. 

"Do,"  added  Violet.  "I  should  like  to  hear  from 
Mr.  Robbins." 

"  Here  goes,  then"  :  — 


TAMPA,  Sept.  24,  1876. 
DEAR  OLD  FELLOW  :  — 

Your  pleasant  letter  from  the  wilds  of  Maine  came  safely 
to  hand,  and  I  hasten  to  answer  it,  in  hopes  that  you  may  re- 
ceive this  before  you  get  away  from  the  lakes.  I  was  very  much 
interested  in  the  incidents  you  relate  of  your  trip,  and  should 
like  nothing  better  than  to  visit  the  Maine  woods  again  with 
another  such  jolly  crowd  as  we  had  before.  Do  you  remember 
Foster's  ride  on  the  bear?  I  cannot  think  of  it  even  to  this  day 
without  laughing.  I  suppose  he  is  shooting  grizzlies  now  in 
California. 

I  like  down  here  very  much.  My  uncle  has  a  large  orange- 
grove,  over  seven  hundred  trees,  and  is  setting  out  more  all  the 
time.  There  is  plenty  of  game  down  here,  and  also  good  fish- 
ing. About  twenty  miles  south  of  where  we  live  is  a  rousing 
place  for  hunting,  there  being  plenty  of  deer,  ducks,  bears, 
alligators,  and  everything  else.  Uncle  and  I  went  off  on  a 
week's  trip  last  winter,  and  had  a  splendid  time,  shooting  and 
fishing. 

And,  by  the  way,  a  thought  strikes  me.  Why  can't  you 
all  come  down  here  some  winter?  I  can  assure  you  a  cordial 
welcome  from  my  uncle,  who,  despite  the  fact  of  his  being  a 
successful  orange-grower  and  a  smart  business  man,  appears  to 
me  more  like  a  boy  than  any  man  of  his  age  I  ever  saw.  Do 
come,  sometime,  prepared  to  spend  two  months,  and  I  will  get 
away  for  a  month  or  so,  and  we  will  go  on  a  camping-out  trip 
down  here ;  and  you  can  make  up  your  mind  that  we  shall 
have  anything  but  a  slow  time.  Remember  me  personally  to 


396  Wild  Woods  Life. 

each    individual   member   of  the  party,  and  when  you   reach 
home  write  me  again. 

Hoping  in  the  course  of  time  to  see  you  in  Florida,  I  remain, 
Very  truly,  your  friend, 

GEORGE  ROBBINS. 

P.  S.  Do  you  remember  the  day  I  was  lost  and  caught  the 
porcupine  bare-handed? 

"  That  is  not  a  bad  idea  of  Robbins',"  declared 
Claude,  as  Maynard  folded  up  his  letter. 

"  What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Phil. 

"  Why,  our  going  down  there  sometime.  That  would 
just  suit  me.  I  was  never  south  of  New  York  in  my 
life." 

"  You  would  have  to  make  a  winter  trip  of  it,  then, 
boys,"  said  Mr.  De  Ruyter,  laughing. 

"We  could  skip  our  vacation  in  summer  one  year 
and  take  it  during  the  winter  in  Florida,"  remarked 
St.  Clair. 

"  We  can  talk  it  over  this  winter,  sometime,  when 
we  meet  at  the  club,"  added  Maynard. 

Wednesday  morning  dawned  warm  and  pleasant, 
and  the  party  were  up  early,  and  by  half-past  seven 
had  finished  breakfast.  It  had  been  arranged  the  night 
before  that  both  parties  should  travel  together  to  the 
point  where  the  boys  were  to  ascend  the  mountain. 

The  teams  were  driven  to  the  door,  each  a  three- 
seated  Concord  wagon,  capable  of  carrying  nine  people, 
and  half  of  each  party  went  in  both  wagons,  so  that  the 
young  fellows  could  have  a  chance  to  converse  with 
the  girls  on  the  way.  Just  as  they  were  starting  Mr. 
De  Ruyter  paid  the  landlord  a  high  compliment,  in- 


A   Country  Treat.  397 

forming  him  that  he  had  the  best  beds  and  set  the  best 
table  of  any  house  they  had  stopped  at  that  summer, 
and  told  him  that  the  whole  party  had  been  very  much 
pleased  with  their  accommodations  there,  and  that  none 
of  them  would  forget  the  Lakeside  in  a  hurry.  The 
young  people  cordially  indorsed  Mr.  De  Ruyter's  state- 
ment, and  bade  the  landlord  "good-by"  as  the  teams 
drove  away. 

Before  leaving  Claude  had  made  a  bargain  with  the 
landlord  to  send  their  three  boats  and  all  their  baggage 
to  Bethel  that  day  by  an  extra  team,  as  there  was  no 
room  on  the  ones  they  were  to  ride  in,  and  paid  him 
for  the  service,  and  the  boys  left  without  their  traps  to 
look  after. 

When  the  teams  reached  the  top  of  the  hill  they 
stopped  a  moment,  and  the  two  parties  took  a  last 
look  at  the  beautiful  Lake  Urnbagog,  bathed  in  the 
morning  sunlight  and  surrounded  by  its  lofty  forest- 
clad  mountains,  now  decked  in  all  the  gorgeousuess 
of  autumnal  coloring. 

"  Stop  for  me  at  the  store,"  cried  Claude,  jumping 
from  the  first  team,  and  running  ahead.  St.  Clair,  who 
was  in  the  second,  followed  him,  suspecting  his  errand. 

"Wait  a  moment,  Claude,"  called  Andrew,  as  he 
hurried  forward.  "What  are  you  going  to  do,  —  buy 
out  the  store?" 

"  Not  exactly,"  laughed  his  friend,  as  they  went  along 
together;  "  I  thought  I  would  invest  in  some  candy  and 
peanuts,  and  treat  the  crowd." 

"  I  had  an  idea  what  you  were  up  to.  Get  what  you 
want  for  those  in  your  team,  and  I  will  take  care  of 
the  people  in  mine." 


398  Wild  Woods  Life. 

"All  right." 

The  boys  entered  the  store,  and  found  a  tall,  slab- 
sided,  good-natured,  native  leaning  over  the  counter, 
talking  "  loggin' "  with  two  or  three  countrymen  who 
lived  in  the  neighborhood. 

Their  conversation  stopped  short  as  they  saw  the 
boys,  and  "they  looked  at  them  as  if  they  would  stare 
them  out  of  countenance.  They  moved  a  little  as  the 
boys  approached  the  counter,  but  stood  with  ears  and 
mouths  wide  open,  eager  to  catch  the  first  word  the 
strangers  should  utter,  while  their  eyes  scanned  them 
from  head  to  foot. 

"  Have  you  any  candy?  "  asked  Claude. 

"  And  peanuts?  "  added  St.  Clair. 

"  Yaas,"  responded  the  store-keeper  ;  "  how  many  do 
you  want?" 

"  I  will  have  three  pounds  of  candy,  mixed,  and  three 
quarts  of  peanuts,"  answered  Claude. 

"  And  I  the  same,"  said  St.  Clair. 

The  magnitude  of  the  order  astonished  the  merchant, 
and  he  had  to  think  it  over  a  moment  before  he  began 
to  fill  it,  while  the  two  by-standers  looked  at  the  boys 
as  if  they  thought  they  were  young  Goulds  or  Vander- 
bilts. 

"  Ben  up  ter  the  lakes?  "  asked  the  merchant,  sociably, 
as  he  weighed  out  the  candy. 

"We  have  come  from  Parmachenee,"  returnedClaude. 

"  Have  a  pretty  good  time  up  there?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

The  teams  now  stopped  in  front  of  the  store.  This  was 
too  much  for  the  two  countrymen,  and  they  immediately 
deserted  the  boys  for  the  larger  game  outside,  and,  taking 


From  Cambridge  to  Bethel.  399 

their  places  on  the  platform  before  the  door,  they  did 
two  hours'  worth  of  common  staring  in  five  minutes. 
The  two  teams  with  their  occupants  were  a  harvest  for 
them,  and  they  made  the  most  of  their  time,  until  the 
boys  appeared,  and  the  horses  were  once  more  put  in 
motion. 

Claude  and  St.  Clair  divided  their  purchases  among 
their  friends,  and  the  girls  thanked  them  for  the  treat. 
The  candy  was  not  very  nice,  but  they  had  just  as  good 
a  time  eating  it  as  they  would  if  it  had  been  Bailey's 
best. 

"  A  good  hunter  would  be  able  to  trail  us  from  that 
store  to  the  Notch  by.,  peanut-shells,"  said  Claude, 
laughing,  as  he  dropped  a  handful  over  the  side  of  the 
wagon. 

"  Be  sure  and  look  at  Moose  Cave  and  the  Jail,"  said 
Miss  Grayson,  "  when  you  go  along,  to-morrow,  Mr. 
Emerson  ;  they  are  really  worth  seeing." 

"  Trust  us  for  that,  Miss  Grayson,"  returned  Claude  ; 
"  we  shall  look  at  everything  along  the  road  you  may 
depend." 

"  What  a  lovely  day  this  is  for  October ! "  remarked 
Phil. 

"Charming!"  replied  Miss  Peyton.  "And  how 
warm  it  is  !  I  think  you  will  find  it  hot  on  the  moun- 
tain." 

"  I  guess  we  shall,"  observed  Maynard. 

At  half-past  ten  the  teams  reached  the  northern  end 
of  the  Notch,  and  the  boys,  taking  their  lunch,  bade  the 
young  ladies  and  the  old  people  farewell,  saying  they 
would  be  at  the  hotel  in  Bethel  to  dinner  with  them 
the  next  day.  As  the  wagons  rolled  away  the  boys 


400  Wild  Woods  Life. 

raised  their  caps  and  shouted  their  "good-bys,"  and 
the  girls  responded  with  a  waving  of  handkerchiefs 
and  a  shaking  of  parasols. 

u  By  Jove !  it  looks  like  quite  a  journey  to  that 
highest  peak,"  remarked  Adams,  as  the  boys  left  the 
road  and  started  for  the  summit  of  Speckled  Mountain. 

And  a  journey  they  found  it  before  they  reached 
the  top.  The  climbing  soon  became  difficult,  and 
they  were  obliged  to  go  out  of  a  straight  line  quite 
often  in  order  to  avoid  some  perpendicular  piece  of 
ledge.  They  found  traces  of  several  slides  whose 
old  tracks  they  crossed. 

When  nearly  half-way  to  the  summit  they  reached 
a  brook,  and  with  some  difficulty  followed  it  until 
nearly  clear  of  the  forest,  when,  getting  a  glance  at 
the  highes.t  peak,  they  left  the  stream  and  took  an 
air-line  for  it.  They  were  soon  beyond  the  last  tree, 
and  only  barren  ledge  lay  before  them.  It  was  half- 
past  two  when  they  finally  stood  on  top,  tired  and 
hungry,  and  their  clothing  showing  marks  of  their 
hard  scramble. 

There  was  very  little  air  stirring,  and  the  sun  shone 
hotly  down  upon  them.  Their  dinner  was  brought 
forth  as  soon  as  they  had  sat  down,  and  they  paid 
very  little  attention  to  the  views  around  them  until 
they  had  partly  appeased  their  hunger. 

"  I  never  was  so  hungry  in  my  life,"  declared  Adams, 
as,  with  a  piece  of  meat  in  one  hand  and  a  slice  of 
bread  in  the  other,  he  gazed  at  his  companions. 

"  I  felt  rather  hollow,  myself,"  remarked  Claude- 
"  This  is  a  hard  old  mountain  to  climb.  It  beats  any 
we  have  tackled  yet." 


On  Top  of  Speckled  Mountain.  401 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  observed  Maynard  ;  "  but  what 
a  magnificent  view  there  is  from  here  !  It  is  much 
finer  than  that  from  Bald  Pate." 

"  Sure  !  "  said  Wingate.  "  There  is  Bald  Pate  oppo- 
site of  us.  We  can  see  both  peaks  from  this  side,  I 
noticed  when  I  was  in  the  team,  and  I  presume  that 
is  why  the  people  over  this  way  call  the  mountain 
Saddleback.  From  Andover,  you  remember,  we 
could  only  see  one  peak." 

When  the  party  stood  up,  and  began  to  gaze  around 
them,  they  found  they  were  fairly  looking  down  upon 
Bald  Pate,  "  Old  Spec,"  being  at  least  five  hundred 
feet  higher.  The  view  stretched  away,  mile  upon 
mile,  in  every  direction.  Northward,  deeply  em- 
bosomed in  the  midst  of  the  vast  forest  bouquet,  Lake 
Umbagog  sparkled  like  a  diamond,  and  beyond  it  for 
miles  could  be  traced  the  Magalloway  Valley,  with 
an  occasional  silver  thread  that  showed  where  the 
river  once  in  a  while  escaped  from  the  leafy  folds  of 
the  forest.  Still  farther  away  the  mountains  about 
Parmachenee,  and  the  chain  of  peaks  that  composed 
the  boundary,  lay  sharply  defined  against  the  sky, 
the  last  thing  visible  in  that  direction. 

North-easterly,  the  other  lakes  of  the  Androscoggin 
chain,  Molechunkamunk,  Welokennebacook,  Moose- 
lucmaguntic,  Cupsuptic,  and  Oquossoc,  wound  in  and 
out  for  sixty  miles  amid  the  forest-clad  mountains 
that  skirted  their  shores.  Westward  of  these  beautiful 
sheets  of  water,  the  Saddleback  mountain  in  Greenvale, 
Mount  Blue,  Mount  Abraham,  the  twin  Bigelow 
Peaks,  and  many  others  whose  names  the  boys  had 
not  the  slightest  idea  of,  towered  grandly  skywards. 


402  Wild  Woods  Life. 

North-west  the  peaks  around  Dixville  Notch,  and 
others  along  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut,  lay  piled 
so  thickly  that  from  where  the  party  stood  it  actually 
looked  to  them  as  if  a  person  could  step  from  one 
mountain-top  to  another,  even  without  the  traditional 
three-mile  boots. 

From  different  points  of  observation  glimpses  of 
the  Androscoggin  River  and  valley  were  obtained, 
and  to  the  south-wen  the  higher  peaks  of  the  White 
Mountains  barred  all  vision  beyond  their  gigantic 
walls.  The  air  was  unusually  clear,  and,  without  the 
aid  of  the  glass,  a  white  speck  on  the  summit  of 
Mount  Washington,  denoting  the  hotel,  could  plainly 
and  easily  be  distinguished. 

South-west,  a  large  number  of  mountains  of  all 
shapes,  but  not  so  high  as  the  northern  peaks,  lay 
scattered  about  like  pebbles  on  a  sandy  beach,  and 
beyond  these  a  silvery  gleam,  stretching  away  into 
infinite  space,  convinced  them  that  they  gazed  upon 
old  ocean,  about  fifty  miles  distant  as  the  crow  flies. 

With  eating  and  sight-seeing  an  hour  glided  rapidly 
away,  and  Claude,  telling  the  boys  it  was  high  time 
for  them  to  be  moving,  if  they  wished  to  gain  the 
road  before  dark,  took  a  bee-line  down  the  mountain. 

Claude  had  ordered  their  team  to  be  at  the  path 
leading  to  Moose  Cave  at  four  o'clock,  not  doubting 
but  what  the  party  would  be  there  to  meet  it.  But  it 
had  taken  them  so  much  longer  to  climb  the  mountain 
than  they  expected  that  it  was  half-past  three  when 
they  began  the  descent,  and  six  when  they  reached 
the  road. 

On   their  way  down   they  slipped  about  and  stum- 


The  German's  Adventure.  403 

bled  considerably,  and  had  several  narrow  escapes 
from  a  bad  accident.  In  many  places  the  way  before 
them  was  so  steep  that  they  did  not  dare  attempt  the 
descent  in  a  straight  line,  and  were  obliged  to  zigzag 
either  to  the  right  or  left  for  some  distance.  It  grew 
dark  rapidly  after  they  entei'ed  the  forest,  and  they 
were  all  very  glad  upon  emerging  from  the  woods 
and  large  boulders  among  which  they  had  been 
stumbling  for  the  last  half  hour.  • 

*'  Glory  hallelujah,  fellows  !  I  am  glad  we  are  out 
of  that !  "  exclaimed  Phil,  as  they  started  briskly  down 
the  road,  having  come  out  on  it  a  little  farther  north 
than  they  had  intended. 

"  That  is  no  fool  of  a  mountain  to  get  up  and  down," 
observed  Le  Roy. 

"  I  believe  it  is  the  toughest  climb  I  ever  had,"  re- 
marked Wingate. 

We  remember  one  summer  being  on  the  steamer 
"  Welokennebacook,"  on  her  afternoon  trip  from  South 
Arm  to  Upper  Dam  Landing,  and  making  a  stop  at  the 
Middle  Dam. 

Among  the  passengers  who  came  aboard  the  steamer 
at  the  place  was  a  fine-appearing,  gentlemanly-looking 
foreigner,  who  proved  to  be  a  German  professor  in  some 
college,  the  name  of  which  has  slipped  our  memory. 
His  only  baggage  consisted  of  a  small  valise.  His 
clothing  was  very  nice  with  the  exception  that  it  had 
been  darned  and  patched  in  many  places,  and  his  hat 
had  also  been  torn,  and  bore  several  marks  of  pitch. 

As  he  talked  English  fluently,  I  fell  into  conversation 
with  him,  and  after  a  short  time  he  alluded  to  his 
clothes.  He  told  me  that  his  suit  had  been  whole,  in 


404  Wild  Woods  Life. 

fact,  a  new  one,  when  he  left  New  York,  but  that  on  his 
way  from  Bethel  to  Lake  Umbagog  he  had  walked  the 
entire  distance,  and  when  he  saw  the  immense 
peak  of  Speckled  Mountain  it  so  interested  him  that  he 
could  not  resist  the  inclination  to  make  the  ascent,  and 
he  went  up  without  any  guide. 

It  was  late  when  he  reached  the  summit,  and  stopping 
too  long  on  top,  entranced  by  the  view,  he  became 
lost  in  the  woods  on  his  way  down,  and  hungry  and 
tired,  passed  a  very  disagi^eeable  night  in  the  forest. 
His  clothing  had  been  so  badly  used  up  that  he  was 
compelled  to  stop  at  the  first  farm-house  he  reached  and 
have  the  rents  in  his  suit  mended  ;  and  he  wound  up  his 
story,  which  both  interested  and  amused  me,  by  begging 
me  to  tell  him  what  the  first  place  was  he  would  reach 
where  he  could  procure  another  suit. 

"  I  guess  you  fellows  found  it  harder  work  climbing 
Old  Spec  than  you  thought  it  would  be,  didn't  ye?  " 
inquired  the  driver,  who  had  been  waiting  a  couple 
of  hours. 

"  We  did,"  returned  Claude.  "  We  found  it  to  be  a 
great  deal  like  work.  But  I  am  sorry  that  we  have 
kept  you  waiting  so  long." 

"Don't  say  nuthing  'bout  it, — it's  all  right.  But 
ye  can't  see  the  cave  or  falls  now.  It's  too  dark." 

"  We  can  drive  back  here  in  the  morning  before  we 
go  to  Bethel,"  suggested  Maynard.  "  It  can't  be  a 
great  distance  from  the  hotel  where  we  stop  to-night." 

"  'Bout  five  miles  from  here  ter  the  Popple  Tavum," 
answered  the  driver. 

"  You  have  just  spelled  it,  Frank  !  "  declared  Claude. 
"  We  can  see  the  sights  in  the  morning." 


Sight-Seeing.  405 

It  was  a  little  after  seven  when  the  team  stopped  at 
Poplar  Tavern,  and  the  boys  gladly  entered  its  open 
portals,  and  suggested  to  the  landlord,  if  he  did  not  want 
them  to  breed  a  famine  in  that  neighborhood,  to  have 
their  supper  on  the  table  in  the  shortest  possible  time. 

During  the  evening  the  young  fellows  arranged  with 
the  driver  to  leave  the  house  at  six  o'clock  the  next 
morning  and  visit  the  three  places  they  had  missed,  and 
then  stop  at  the  hotel  again  on  their  way  to  Bethel,  and 
take  breakfast ;  and  this  programme  was  carried  out. 

The  driver  called  them  Thursday  morning  in  ample 
time,  and  they  were  ready  as  soon  as  the  team  drew  up 
at  the  door.  The  air  was  sharp  and  frosty,  not  nearly 
as  warm  as  the  day  before. 

An  hour's  drive  brought  them  to  the  path  leading  to 
Moose  Cave,  and  five  minutes'  walk  enabled  them  to 
reach  the  bank  of  Bear  River,  whose  waters  had  worn 
out  a  large  hole  in  the  rock  at  this  point.  The  cave  is 
said  to  have  received  its  name  from  the  fact  that  a 
wounded  moose  once  took  shelter  in  it  to  avoid  his 
pursuers. 

Retracing  their  way  to  the  team,  which  the  driver  had 
turned  during  their  absence,  they  drove  along,  and 
stopped  next  at  the  Jail,  another  huge  chasm,  close 
beside  the  road.  This  place,  like  the  other,  owed  its 
existence  to  the  unwearied  rush  of  waters  which  for 
ages  had  helped  to  develop  its  size  and  depth.  The 
hole  into  which  they  were  now  carefully  peering  was 
nearly  circular  in  shape,  with  perpendicular  walls, 
whose  height  can  be  readily  imagined  when  we  state 
that  large  trees  growing  from  the  bottom  of  the  Jail, 
barely  reached  the  level  of  the  road. 


406  Wild  Woods  Life. 


"  The  Jail  is  a  good  name  for  that  place,"  remarked 
Phil,  as  they  gazed  at  the  stream  so  far  below  them. 
"  I  should  hate  to  fall  in  there  !  " 

"It  would  not  be  the  fall  that  would  hurt  you," 
laughed  Adams  ;  "  it  would  be  the  '  bringing  up,'  as  the 
Irishman  said." 

The  next  stop  was  at  Screw  Auger  Falls,  and  here 
the  boys  were  astonished  at  the  wonderful  display  of  the 
action  of  water  on  stone.  For  a  long  distance  in  this 
vicinity  the  waters  of  Bear  River  have  forced  their  way 
through  the  solid  granite,  and,  working  deeper  each 
year,  have  worn  a  spiral  channel  for  many  yards, 
being  in  some  places  nearly  seventy  feet  deep.  While 
at  some  points  a  good  leaper  could  vault  across  the 
channel,  at  other  spots  it  widens  to  a  distance  of 
thirty  or  forty  feet.  A  mill  once  stood  over  the  large 
circular  chasm,  but  several  years  ago  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  Part  of  the  dam  a  short  distance  above  is  all  that 
remains  to  tell  the  story. 

Once  more  the  boys  entered  the  team,  and  away  they 
sped  to  the  hotel,  and  to  breakfast. 

"  I  should  like  to  follow  that  river  up  the  whole 
distance  through  the  Notch,"  remarked  Claude  as  they 
rattled  along ;  "  there  must  be  a  lot  of  places  on  it  worth 
seeing  that  are  not  generally  known." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it,"  added  Phil. 

At  nine  o'clock  they  reached  the  hotel  and  stopped 
an  hour  to  breakfast,  and  the  driver  fed  his  horses. 
After  settling  their  hotel  bill,  the  team  was  harnessed, 
and  they  took  their  seats  as  before. 

The  driver  sent  his  horses  along  at  a  good  pace,  and 
at  twelve  o'clock  they  crossed  the  covered  bridge  over  the 


Homeward  Bound.  407 

Androscoggin,  and  a  half  hour  later  were  deposited  in 
front  of  the  Elms,  and  found  their  friends  awaiting  them 
on  the  piazza. 

Then  came  pleasant  greetings  and  many  hand-shak- 
ings, and,  filing  into  the  parlor  of  the  hotel,  the  boys  re- 
lated their  experiences  in  climbing  Speckled  Mountain. 

The  afternoon  and  evening  at  Bethel  were  passed 
very  pleasantly,  and  slipped  away  almost  before  the 
boys  knew  it. 

Friday  morning  the  young  fellows  made  their  appear- 
ance in  city  dress  once  more,  and  as  soon  as  break- 
fast was  over  Claude  and  Maynard  went  down  to  the 
depot  to  see  to  their  boats  and  other  things. 

The  landlord  sent  the  rest  of  the  party  to  the  depot  in 
carriages,  and  for  five  minutes  the  young  fellows  and 
the  gentlemen  were  busy  getting  checks  for  their 
baggage.  For  a  wonder  the  train  came  along  on  time, 
and  the  two  parties  secured  seats  in  the  Pullman  car. 
Claude  had  found  a  chance  for  their  boats  in  the  express 
car,  and  at  a  quarter  of  ten  the  train  moved  away  from 
the  station. 

The  party  reached  Boston  in  safety,  and  Phil  and  his 
folks  left  for  New  York  the  same  evening  by  the  Shore 
Line. 

If  my  readers,  who  have  followed  the  boys  through 
"Eastward  Ho!"  and  this  present  volume,  care  to 
continue  their  acquaintance,  they  can  renew  it  in  the 
third  volume  of  this  series,  entitled,  "Down  the  West 
Branch ;  or,  Camps  and  Tramps  around  Katahdin." 


UCSB  LIBRARY 


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